To Team Seven
by Serenarey Chiba
Summary: For Sasuke, Sakura, Hinata, and Naruto, going back in time wasn't their plan. Their enemies are stronger than they could ever remember. And what of the Gods deeming time travel a sin? The strength of bonds is stronger than they'd ever realize. NaruSaku
1. Chapter 1

All right, this is yet ANOTHER time travel fiction. I hope it somewhat varies from that of other author's fictions, but, who knows. Please read and review.

* * *

Chapter One

The clang rang out throughout the air as two shinobi wielded their kunai against one another. The shinobi with red hair and bright hazel eyes let up on his strength, causing the blond male he was fighting to pitch forward in surprise. The blond's cornflower-blue eyes widened, but he could do nothing to stop the fist slamming into his face and sending him flying back. The blond flew back and soared through a boulder, causing it to explode on impact. The first shinobi relaxed his stance and his hands moved quickly to create several seals. "Shouten no Jutsu," he said clearly as five other bodies appeared next to him. He and his five other people looked across the plain of disabled bodies and blood and felt as three traces of chakra rose distinctly. Three people appeared next to the boulder, climbing over the rocks to get to the blond he had just been fighting. One clone shifted as if to begin its attack before holding back as the redhead held out his hand.

"Not yet."

The blond felt pain run through every part of his body, and he struggled for breath. A rock was lifted off his chest, and he breathed in quickly as fresh oxygen rushed into his little rock coffin. More and more rocks were pulled off him, and he saw a black-gloved hand appear over him. Grunting as he reached for the hand, he was swiftly pulled up out of his coffin.

"You okay?" asked his rescuer, her leaf-green eyes filled with worry over his health. The shinobi grinned, his blue eyes narrowing as he tried to smirk. The green eyes narrowed dangerously at his futile attempts, and he laughed.

"I'm okay, Sakura-chan. Really. I'll be fine."

"Course the idiot's fine," said a voice from behind the two shinobi. The man and woman looked back to see another shinobi bearing the hitai-ate of the Konohagakure, with his long, black bangs flowing in the breeze. The newcomer smirked, saying, "I don't think the idiot even knows the meaning of death, Sakura. After all, he's just like a cockroach in so many ways."

Haruno Sakura laughed, her shoulders trembling as she let out her laughter. Blue eyes glared at her and she quickly composed herself. Turning to their black-haired teammate, she put her hands on her hips, frowning as she said admonishingly, "That was low, Sasuke. Naruto's better than a cockroach – I'd say he's more like…a beetle."

Uzumaki Naruto stared at his fiancé, completely aghast. He quickly shifted to see another person approach, their long midnight-blue hair waving in the wind. Lavender eyes and a soft smile greeted him, before a frown quickly replaced it as veins became more apparent around her eyes. She turned to look across the plain at the six people, and frowned as she wondered what kind of jutsu could produce such clones. Uchiha Sasuke put a hand on her shoulder, softly asking, "What do you see, Hinata?"

Naruto and Sakura's face formulated into a serious expression, both now going back to the situation at hand. Hyuuga Hinata gritted her teeth, eyes narrowing further. Naruto snarled as he turned to go and finish the task he'd begun before.

"Wait! Naruto, don't go yet!"

Naruto looked back at the Hyuuga matriarch, his entire body tense. Turning to glance at the six people who waited across the bloodied field, he once again looked at the Hyuuga, teeth bared.

"What am I waiting for? If we beat them…if we beat them, our friends' deaths won't be in vain! What are you stopping me for!"

"I know that!" yelled Hinata, her patience snapping as she began to understand the situation they were in. Sasuke put both hands on her shoulders, and the three shinobi saw her calm down visibly. Hinata took in a deep breath and in a much softer voice, she continued by saying, "Those people…we can't beat them by charging in recklessly. They will mutilate us, and we didn't survive this far just for our luck to run out because of poor planning. Those eyes…you don't understand what damage they can cause!"

Sakura and Sasuke traded glances, though Sasuke was the one to ask. "Eyes?"

"Those people, no, that man Pein is the wielder of the Rinnegan. It's far superior to the Sharingan, and even the Byakugan together. I've heard of him before when my mother once told me fairy tales, but I thought it was just that – a tale. He has the advantage of being able to see from six points-of-view at once, and whatever he sees, he can block or dodge."

"Six views?" muttered Sakura, glaring at Pein, and he met her eyes. "So, Hinata, let me get this straight. Each person, because they have that Rinnegan thing, can share whatever their eyes happen to see with the other five people? So, their view is infinite?"

Hinata nodded slightly, a bead of sweat running down her cheek as she searched for a plan, a course, an escape, anything to help them out of their horrible situation. Sasuke chuckled, and the three other looked at him as if he'd just grown another head. The last Uchiha looked at them, smirking. "I don't see the problem, Hinata."

She stared at him with wide eyes, and he shrugged, grinning more. "So, we just have to stay out of their vision, right? They can't see something, they can't block it right?"

Naruto stared at Sasuke with a scowl on his face until a thought raced into his brain. Looking at Sasuke in a new light, the other man nodded slightly. Hinata and Sakura frowned at one another, and Naruto grinned at both of them.

"Don't worry, you two. With my nearly inexhaustible supply of chakra, Sasuke's curse seal, Sakura's insurmountable strength, and Hinata's lineage, as well as our backup Kyuubi, we can win this battle. Just follow my lead, and we'll make it through."

"Or we'll die like cockroaches," muttered Sakura, though she moved along with the other two behind Naruto across the field towards the center. Naruto and his team stopped in the field, not five paces away from Pein and his five clones. The blond looked Pein up and down, grinning softly. "So, I hear your name's Pein," he said, his voice lilting with humor. "I think it suits you. You've been nothing but a pain in my fucking ass."

Pein narrowed his eyes at the Jinchuuriki, his clones following suit. "This ends here."

"I agree!"

The area exploded with flashes of light and Pein and his clones cried out in pain. Naruto raced around, his blond hair flowing back as he created a cross seal, whispering, "Tajyuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Thousands of clones of Naruto appeared in the area, though the six Pein clones were too busy being blinded. Five hundred clones surrounded the six, each holding up the seals of Dragon, Monkey, Snake, and Tiger. Each Naruto clone shouted, "Bakuretsu Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Pein and his clones screamed out as five hundred explosions went off around them, effectively killing their hearing. Hinata, her Byakugan activated, and Sakura with her chakra-filled fists raced at the six men. Sakura pulled back her fists and readied herself to launch the fist forward when a fist appeared right in front of her and slammed into her stomach. Sakura's eyes widened, though she was given no time to emit any sounds as she flew back and skidded across the ground. Her body rolled over and over until friction caught her and she slid the rest of the way across the dirt. She grunted softly, unable to feel her limbs. "D-damn it…"

Hinata had a little more luck as she jumped back quickly as soon as she saw a fist reach for her. Eyes focused, as soon as her feet touched the ground, she moved into a lower position, yelling, "Hakkeshou Kaiten!"

Within half a second, a blue ball of chakra was racing around Hinata as she spun at high speeds, forming the ultimate Hyuuga chakra defense. A face appeared right in front of Hinata's inside her defense, however, and her eyes widened in shock. The man slammed a hand into Hinata's chest, and she felt her ribs and clavicle break before the force of the blow sent her flying back across the ground. A wave of dirt soared from each side of Hinata as she hit the ground rolling, much like Sakura. However, unlike the rosette, Hinata felt her breath cut short as a broken rib pierced her left lung. Freezing, lest she have the rib pierce her heart, Hinata gasped for breath, eyes watering as she looked back up at the battle. "No…" she whispered.

Sasuke charged up to the second level of his curse, feeling his wings sprout from his back, and he forced his Mangekyou Sharingan to activate. Two of the clones raced after him, and he felt the effects of a strong fire technique burn into his back. He yelled out as he felt his wings take flame, and he hit the ground with a loud crash. Only nanoseconds later, the two clones were on him, burning him until he screamed. His eyes caught a hold of one clone, and he shouted, "Tsukiyomi!"

Watching the clone cry out from whatever image he saw, Sasuke jumped up, and swirled around to throw a kick into the other clone. The clone caught it, and Sasuke pushed off the ground with his other foot and sent it flying towards the clone's head. Catching that too, the clone didn't notice Sasuke run quickly through techniques, shouting, "Katon: Ganshou Ryuuseiu no Jutsu!"

From the earth exploded forth hundreds of large balls of magma, each aimed straight for the clone and Sasuke. Sasuke eyes widened as the clone vanished from beneath him, leaving Sasuke alone to take the powerful attack. His screams penetrated the air and Hinata looked up, her eyes filled with tears as she heard Sasuke continue to scream, before silence met her ears. Sakura had pushed herself up from her position on the ground, and she looked over to where Hinata was. The Hyuuga woman was screaming and Sakura turned her head away, unable to handle the pain she knew Hinata was experiencing. Moving to limp over to the far away spot where Sasuke's body lay unmoving, she tripped over a rock and fell down to the ground hard.

"…Down again…"

Naruto looked over at where his three teammates lay, and felt rage flow through his veins. His body trembled as red chakra flowed out of his skin and covered him in a form of a cloak. His teeth enlarged and the incisor grew as sharp as the Kyuubi's, as well as his nails on his hands and feet. Naruto's cornflower-blue eyes faded over to a deep, fiery red, the black pupils retracting and elongating to a become more fox-like. The red cloak of chakra completely covered him, and Naruto raised his nine tails in the air along with his haunches. The five clones of Pein as well as the original appeared in front of the Jinchuuriki, and Naruto let out a loud roar. Pein looked at him, a small smirk on his face. "You'll die, Jinchuuriki."

"I don't care!" roared Naruto. "But when I die, I'm taking you with me!"

Without any more preamble, Naruto flew forward, a red flow of chakra flowing along behind him as he raced towards Pein. Pein shifted aside of Naruto and grabbed the man's black jacket, letting the blond's inertia send him flying across the field towards the Naruto's friends. Naruto's eyes widened in surprise as he saw Pein and his clones close around Naruto and his friends. A palm slammed down into Naruto's stomach, effectively cutting off Naruto's demonic chakra and leaving the blond defenseless. Naruto hit the ground hard enough to leave a crater, and aside of slight coughing, found he could move no more. Seeing Hinata, Sasuke, and Sakura roll into the crater to hit him at the bottom, he felt weakness seep into his body, and he shouted in rage.

* * *

Naruto stared down the long corridor, his face showing an expression of defeat. Lifting his eyes, the blond moved down the corridor until he stood in front of a large barred doors with a seal in the very middle. Two large, red eyes glanced down tiredly at the blond, and Naruto looked up with as much enthusiasm. The large fox's chakra was still rolling out through the thick bars of the gate, but Naruto paid it no attention. He breathed in deeply, before exhaling, and moving closer to the gate. Naruto reached up a hand towards the seal and peeled it off the gate. The doors of the gate blew open and Naruto felt himself fly away to hit the wall of the corridor hard. Blazing red eyes looked down at the blond, and Naruto turned away, frowning.

"You're free," he said softly, "and I know you don't owe me jack, but, you mind killing off that Pein for me?"

The Kyuubi moved one of his tails to grab the blond and brought the shinobi to his face. "I don't remember you ever quitting so easily, kit," Kyuubi said, his voice deep and loud enough to cause the corridors to shake. Naruto raised his head to look at the Kyuubi, frowning as he said, "Konoha is dead… My friends are as good as dead…my fiancé is almost out of my reach. So many have died – I can't keep this up anymore! I'm…I've died!"

Kyuubi laughed, the barks sounding like explosions roaring through the small passageways. Naruto grimaced, and glared as he bore his teeth at the demon. "What's so funny?"

"Physically," said the Kyuubi, his voice vibrating with each word, "you have died, yes. But spiritually, you, and your friends, very much exist. Much as I hate what greedy flesh-bags as you humans have prove to be, I must say I've taken to your brash personality, and noticed humans probably need a bit of a nudge in the right direction."

Naruto stared at him, his left eyebrow raised in confusion. "And this means…what?"

"You're going to try again, you little idiot, and this time, you won't put my life at waste!"

Naruto shuddered when the Kyuubi grinned, showing all of his teeth. "I'm sending you back, and you're going to fix all this shit! You're going to make it so I don't die, and don't get stuck with a fucking weakling for a vessel! With what I'm doing, you'd better make the best of it!"

The blond screamed as all of the Kyuubi's chakra began to surround and flow inside him. "Gah!" he screamed. "What…what the hell is this!"

Outside in reality, Naruto screamed as his body turned a bright red and a sphere of red chakra formed a dome over the crater, keeping Pein and his clones out. The dome began to crackle and turned bright white, before shattering into fluttering pieces of energy, and dissipating completely. When Pein looked down into the crater, he was surprised to find the area was completely deserted.

* * *

Naruto rose from where he lay, screaming as loud as his lungs could. The pain still fresh in his mind, he realized his entire body was shaking. Breathing in deeply in an effort to calm himself, he felt himself relax. Looking around him and expecting to see the large crater Pein had sent him packing into, the blond was surprised to see what looked like his old apartment in his youth…the apartment he'd had before Konoha had been completely demolished. Jumping off of the bed he was sitting in, he raised a hand to scratch the back of his head in confusion. Blinking a few times, Naruto turned to look back at the bed and stared at it, comparing it to his eye level.

"I feel like I've shrunk, somehow…"

He raced over to the mirror located near his restroom, and stared at it. "I'm…short… Again…"

Naruto turned around and looked over at his bureau, where he found only his old goggles, but no sign of his hitai-ate. Grabbing the goggles, he frowned at them. He couldn't remember having ever taken them out of his first drawer since graduating from the academy. "I have my suspicions about this," Naruto muttered, "but I'd better find out for certain first."

He walked over to his closet and looked through his clothes, frowning when he saw his orange jumpsuit. "Hell no," he said as he pushed all of the orange things aside. Reaching back, he discovered an outfit consisting of a black V-cut, short-sleeved shirt with orange lining, and a pair of black pants made of a light material. Surprised, Naruto quickly grabbed the outfit and ran to put it on his bed. Grinning, he then tore off his clothes and went to take a quick shower and ready himself for whatever kind of day it was.

Fifteen minutes later, Naruto was outside of his apartment and locking his door. Frowning at the loss of his hitai-ate, he shrugged and jumped on the railing running along the walkway in front of his apartment. He took in a deep breath and jumped off, laughing as he fell. Hitting the ground hard, he felt something wrong take place immediately. As soon as he had tried to gather chakra to help for a softer landing, he found he barely gather enough to cover the size of his hand, much less his feet and legs. He cried out in pain, and glared down at his legs. Having concentrated solely on the loss of his chakra finesse, he hadn't paid attention to how far from the ground he had been. Completely confused, and feeling his suspicions about his current situation begin to rise again, Naruto gathered himself up and moved towards the direction of the academy. He forced himself to run and was shocked to find he had none of his original speed, and not only that, but he was winded easily, despite his enhanced endurance due to the Kyuubi. Naruto sighed, but did not allow himself to stop running, and he puttered along all the way until he saw the building come into view. He gasped in relief, and stopped running only to start coughing hard. A hand clapping his back surprised him, and he looked up to find a younger Hinata smiling down at him. Staring, he sputtered, "Hinata!"

"Hello, Naruto," responded the Hyuuga in return. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she looked him in the eyes, and he met her gaze fully. "Have you noticed anything odd about our current circumstances?"

Naruto sighed, having hoped he was completely wrong, but now after seeing a younger Hinata look at him without her normal stuttering to accompany the image, he realized he was definitely right. Frowning, he said, "I suppose we have been brought back to the past. That's all I can ascertain from this situation."

Hinata looked shocked – her pupil-less lavender eyes were wide and she seemed a bit taken aback. Though Naruto wanted to grin for doing the unbelievable and shocking the Hyuuga matriarch – correction, heiress now, he couldn't allow himself to do the immature action. Looking away, Hinata frowned as she raised her right hand to her lips with her left supporting her right arm in a gesture showing she was thinking. "But, how?" she asked softly, still thinking hard. "I don't recall there being a jutsu allowing for time-travel…"

"Same here, but that's not to say the Kyuubi doesn't."

"The Kyuubi? He did this? Whatever for? What could he gain from such an act?"

Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "Look, I'm not even sure what age I am, and you expect me to answer how we were sent to the past? Give me a break."

Hinata stared at him for a full minute before chuckling softly, with Naruto succumbing to laughter shortly after. The two grinned at each other, and Naruto raised his fists up to the sky, still chuckling. He looked over at the midnight-blue-haired girl and let his smile slip a bit as he asked, "How are you doing at home?"

Hinata's smile completely disappeared and she stared stonily across the school grounds. "My father…you know how he is. Even if this is our second chance, or whatever this may be, I'm not sure how to go about making my father notice my strength." She paused slightly, looking down at her hands. "I even sparred him today, fully thinking I'd gain an advantage because of the techniques I've learned and employed all my life, but…"

"Yeah. I jumped from my apartment building and freaking almost broke my damned ankle," muttered Naruto. "Back to the fucking stage of screwed up chakra. Fun, fun."

The two shinobi looked across the school grounds silently, though Naruto perked up upon catching sight of a bobbing head of pink hair. A grin shot to his face quickly, and he looked at the younger Sakura appreciatively as he saw her long, pink hair had been tied up into a ponytail, with wisps of hair falling to shape her jaw line and not-so-apparent cheekbones. Lifting her large, leaf-green eyes, Sakura's face turned from one of annoyance to one of pure happiness. She walked up to Hinata and Naruto, and placed a kiss on Naruto's lips. Hinata turned away, an eyebrow raised at their actions. Sakura frowned at her, and poked her in her breast, causing Hinata to jump away and stare at the rosette in disbelief.

"Sakura!" she squeaked out, her face a brilliant shade of red. "What do you think you're doing!"

"Yeah," said a soft voice from behind the heiress. "Isn't that my job, Sakura?"

Feeling her face grow even warmer, Hinata turned around to see a smiling Sasuke. Sasuke looked at Hinata, laughing at her shocked expression. Chuckling a bit, he looked at Naruto with a frown. "What's going on, Naruto? I woke up this morning to find myself a couple of feet shorter and missing my hitai-ate. Not to mention my curse seal is gone."

Sakura nodded. "Not to mention how we all look like how we did when we were in the academy, and have become squeaky with pre-pubescence. Plus the fact that my endurance is back to square one, and even worse than when we were on Team Seven."

"Sandaime is back in action, too," interjected Sasuke, still frowning. "The Hokage Monument isn't even displaying the Godaime's face."

Naruto frowned. "Your curse seal is gone?" he asked, looking Hinata who nodded. "That seals it," Naruto said. "We are definitely in the past. Where in the past, I'm not sure."

The four from the future looked at each other, each sighing almost simultaneously. Sakura looked up quickly though, turning her gaze to land on Naruto. "But wait, does that mean we're actually starting over from the beginning? Academy, graduation, Kakashi-sensei, the whole shindig?"

Sasuke groaned. "Not again…that means I have fan girls again."

Hinata hung her head slightly, softly saying, "I'm back to my stuttering stage…"

Sakura grabbed her head and looked up at the sky. "I'm back to being on bad terms with Ino and back to being a silly, little, fan girl. And back to when I hate Naruto again…"

Naruto stared at Sakura, completely stricken, and she quickly moved to say, "I don't mean I'm actually going to hate you. But, that's what I used to do, and if we're back in the past, that's what everyone will expect of me."

The blond shook his head, clenching a fist. "Well, I'm not going accordance to the past. Hell, I can't even remember a few months ago, much less eight to nine years ago. This time will be different, and I don't care what happens. We have things to do, and we can't let the people around stop us from doing that."

"There may be consequences for acting out of turn, Naruto," Sakura reasoned softly. "We may do something to ruin the whole time and space dimension thing."

"Sure, people will change, but, they're going to change anyway!" argued Naruto. "We just can't be the people we used to be. Too many things have happened, and we aren't the same!"

Sasuke nodded in agreement. "He's right – I've changed too much from my time with Orochimaru. I can't go back to being that innocent–" at which point Naruto snorted loudly and earned a glare from Sasuke, "–boy I used to be. It would be a waste of time to try."

"I can't stutter anymore," Hinata muttered. "I'm not going to do it. I won't pretend."

Sasuke grinned at her, saying, "Not like you talked that much anyway from the start. No one will notice with you. But you two," he said looking at Naruto and Sakura, "if you two don't act similar to how you used to, arguing all the time, people will wonder how you changed overnight. I am not as bad as I used to be, but I can act like an asshole if need be. Hinata can act submissive, and we can avoid each other."

Sakura let her head drop a bit as she contemplated over what Sasuke told her, and she couldn't help feeling as if her heart was hurting more and more with each word. A hand on her shoulder had her eyes rising to look into two blue orbs. Naruto grinned, his teeth a pearl white. "Don't worry, Sakura-chan. What they don't see, they can't do anything about."

Sakura's mouth formed into a soft smile, though she and the other three looked over upon hearing the loud pitched screaming of young children as they raced towards the academy. Sasuke sighed and smiled at Hinata one last time before he began to walk away. "I'm an avenger," he said loud enough for several other people to hear him. "I can't be seen with idiots like you lot."

Naruto felt his temper spike a bit, though he was distracted when Sakura trailed after Sasuke. "S-Sakura-chan!" Naruto said, stumbling after the pink-haired girl. Sakura turned around, flashing him a grin before shouting without enthusiasm, "What the hell do _you_ want, Naruto? You'd better stay away from Sasuke-kun! He might catch your idiocy!"

Though Sakura said her words confidently enough, she couldn't help but glance at Hinata upon using the endearment on Sasuke's name. Hinata raised an eyebrow at her, but said no more as she walked towards the academy on her own. Sighing softly, she gave Naruto one last glance and ran off after Sasuke. She grabbed onto his arm much to his surprise and Hinata's and Naruto's annoyance, but Sasuke chuckled before adopting a stony look. Naruto looked up at the clouds in the sky, but couldn't help but smile over the recent events.

"Everything…I'll change it all! Just watch me!"

Looking ahead, Naruto grinned widely as he ran to catch up with his friends.

* * *

Naruto looked at his surroundings, frowning as he tried to place the room. "This room," he said thoughtfully, "I think this room…"

His thoughts were called to a halt, however, as a young girl with long, pale-blonde hair burst into the room and hit Naruto on the back of the head. The girl turned to look back at Naruto with a glare, her pale-blue, pupil-less eyes fierce. Naruto rose from the ground, a hand immediately reaching up rub the back of his aching head. He looked up at the girl with annoyance, and saw her grow more angry.

"Watch where you're going, you idiot!"

Sakura had turned around when she heard the commotion, and saw her old friend Ino run straight into Naruto and knock him down. Anger clouded her features, and she felt the need to protect Naruto soar through her veins. Readying herself to stand and go to help Naruto, she felt a tug on her arm and looked back down to see Sasuke frowning at her. Her anger was lost completely, and replaced with an expression of pain. Looking back to see Hinata, she saw the quiet girl move her head from side to side in small movements. Sakura sat back down slowly, and forced herself to turn away from her fiancée.

Yamanaka Ino was not a happy girl. Not only had the Sakura beat her to Sasuke, but now she had to run into the village idiot. Naruto scowled at Ino, but he forced himself to relax when he saw Sakura's expression. _She wants to help me_, he thought to himself, and that was enough to make him smile. He saw Ino become confused, and he forced a big grin to his face. "Ha, ha, sorry Ino! Didn't see you there!"

"Geez, you're getting to be more and more stupid, aren't you?" muttered Ino under her breath. "Just stay out of my way, dead-last."

Naruto froze upon hearing the old nickname, but again forced himself to remain calm. Looking around, he looked for a spot to sit, and ended up sitting near the back in the corner. His old teacher, Umino Iruka, came in not too long after, and announced to the class,

"Today, we have our final exam."

Naruto, Sakura, Hinata, and Sasuke all looked up in surprise, and Naruto grinned menacingly. Iruka continued by saying, "If your name is called, come to the classroom next door. You will be performing the Bunshin Jutsu. First up…" Iruka said, looking down at his clipboard before looking up at Naruto. "…is Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto stood up, and walked to the front of the classroom. As he passed by Hinata, he winked, and while passing Sakura and Sasuke, he whispered, "I'll see you guys in a couple of days for our first meeting!"

All three of them grinned as the blond left the room, and Naruto closed the door behind him. Walking to the room directly to the left, Naruto walked in and placed his hands in the normal Ram seal position. Breathing in deeply, he allowed himself to find the root of his chakra and pull it forth from his core. Without any more thought, Naruto yelled, "Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Five copies of Naruto appeared beside him, shimmering slightly. The real, physical Naruto grinned at Iruka, and narrowed his eyes slightly at Mizuki, who looked shocked. Dispelling the jutsu, Naruto walked up to the desk and plucked off one of the hitai-ates, grinning as he tied it around his head. Iruka grinned at Naruto, and asked him to call in the next student. Naruto made a waving gesture and ran back to the room to burst in with a large grin. Everyone in the classroom stared at the boy in surprise, and Naruto chuckled. "Iruka wants Aburame Shino next. Much luck to all you guys."

He glanced at Sakura one last time before racing out of the door.

* * *

Hours after the exam, Naruto found himself bored completely, and not at all willing to just sit and do nothing at the Ichiraku Ramen shop. He rose up from his bed and scowled at the dark night. Passing that exam had been far easier the second time around, but his chakra control still sucked. Unfortunately, due to how his younger self had been, and that of Sasuke's, Sakura's, and Hinata's, he couldn't very well ask anyone to practice with him. He would have much preferred Hinata to help him, since she could see the chakra inside him, but there was not much he could do about it. He had never really hung out with the girl in his academy days, and to start randomly calling her out for training would be lost on no one. Naruto jumped off his bed and moved for his front door. As soon as he had his sandals on, he went out the door and locked it. Sighing, he jumped on the railing once again and jumped down to the street below. Hitting the ground hard, he sighed but said no more as he raced off to see someone special.

Minutes soon passed and one could see Naruto breathing hard as he stood in front of a specific residence. Moving forward, Naruto knocked on the door softly and moved back to wait for someone to answer. Not too much later, he saw Sakura open the door slowly, see him, gasp, and close the door behind her as she came outside. Sakura looked back at the house and sighed. Looking at Naruto, she said softly, "What are you doing here, Naruto? You know what might happen if my parents see you here!"

"I know, but I was bored, and I needed to see you."

A flush of red drifted over Sakura's cheeks, and she looked away from Naruto in embarrassment. "S-see me? What did you need to see me for?"

Naruto smiled softly. "I heard that if you find an angel, and don't visit her for a while, she might leave you and go back to Heaven. I can't have you leaving me, you know. Who'd protect me against myself then?"

By this time, Sakura's face had begun to turn a color similar to that of a tomato. Coughing slightly to hide her state, Sakura said hoarsely, "I haven't protected you from anything, idiot…"

Naruto took Sakura in his arms, much to her distress. Resting his forehead against hers, he whispered, "Come stay with me tonight."

Sakura stared at him, her leaf-green eyes incredulous. "But–! Naruto, I can't! I mean…my parents, I…"

Her thoughts slowed to a standstill as she felt Naruto's tongue slowly trail over her neck. She felt her pulse begin to race as he placed gentle kisses along her collarbone. Trying to grasp at whatever she had been thinking about before, she found herself unable to concentrate at all when Naruto began sucking gently at her tender neck, flicking his tongue over her pulsing carotid artery. Her darkening eyes slowly moved down to look at Naruto as she felt her resistance fade away bit by bit. Naruto moved back up to kiss her softly on the lips, and when he hadn't felt her resist, kissed her more deeply. He held her completely in his arms as her strength left, and Sakura wound her arms behind his neck, pressing against his lips more. Taking a chance, Naruto let his tongue slide softly against her teeth, until she opened her mouth slightly. Sakura moaned gently when she felt Naruto's tongue slide against hers, tasting of lemon pepper and a touch of chocolate. It was an odd combination – quite disgusting really, but only left her desiring more. So she was quite frustrated, and not to mention surprised, when she found a hand pulling back on her one-piece dress and away from Naruto.

Her eyes opened quickly to see her Jounin father standing in front of her, glaring down with hatred at an even more surprised Naruto. Naruto took a step back, a flash of fear flitting across his face. Though he didn't much care what the man did to him, he couldn't bear it if something happened to Sakura because of his selfishness. As the Haruno clan patriarch raised his fist to beat down the blond, Sakura raced in front of Naruto, her eyes wide. "Wait, don't hurt him! He didn't do anything!"

Haruno Minoru looked down in surprise before narrowing his eyes more. "What is the meaning of this, Sakura? I believe I warned you to never go near this…this _thing_ again! Bad enough he's running loose as is, but to take advantage of your innocence in addition…"

Sakura shook her head adamantly, keeping her stance in front of Naruto. "He wasn't taking advantage of me at all! If you'd just listen…!"

She saw her father's eyes drift down to look at her neck and she frowned, before quickly clapping a hand on her neck with a gasp. Naruto felt a large source of killer intent come into play as Minoru's eyes narrowed even further. Shuddering, the blond knew the best action would be to run away as far as possible, but because of his need to always take the blame for everything, he found himself standing in front of Sakura. He glared up at Minoru, softly saying, "I take the blame for all you have witnessed. Please don't be angry with your daughter. If anything, I'd like to apologize for the issues that have taken place here."

Minoru pulled Sakura out from behind Naruto hard, and pushed her back to the house with shout of, "Get in the damn house! You are to see no one else tonight! No one!

"As for you, you damned monster," he said, cracking his knuckles at a frowning Naruto. "I'll teach you never to touch my daughter again!"

Naruto forced himself to stay still as Minoru's fist slammed into his face, despite Sakura's cries for him to escape. He felt himself fly backwards and hit the ground rolling, only to recover to receive a thorough bout of Minoru's punches. Naruto almost yelled out in pain but upon seeing Sakura's crying, and fearful face, forced himself to just take the punishment like a man. After twenty minutes, Minoru felt his good deed done for the day, and moved to go back to the house. Naruto felt pain run all the way down his body, but even after his beating, wanted to move to help Sakura when her father began yelling at her to get into the house. Silence met him, and not too long after, he felt several drops of rain began falling down on him. As soon as the first initial drops fell, the downpour came and soon Naruto was soaked to the bone. He groaned as he moved his beaten body to a kneeling position, before finally rising completely. _I_, he thought tiredly, _am in pain…_

* * *

A couple of days later, after him taking a horrible photo for his shinobi identification card and meeting the kid named Konohamaru, found Naruto trudging into the classroom, his head down. He had met with the Kyuubi the night before, and had asked the fox not to heal his wounds. Naruto wanted to be reminded of his idiotic stunt for as long as was possible. Even as he thought about it, he had thought his meaning with the Kyuubi would be a lot more…confrontational than it was, but since this time's Kyuubi didn't know what had occurred with Naruto, he wouldn't know to say anything about it. The class was nearly empty as he came in, except for a few other students, which included Hinata and Sasuke. As Naruto moved down the steps to go sit next to Sasuke, Hinata caught sight of his injuries and gasped as she stood up. Rushing down behind him, Hinata grabbed Naruto's arm and surveyed his wounds. Naruto hissed when Hinata's left hand hit a particularly sore spot on his arm, and she drew back her hand quickly. Sasuke had turned around to place a glare on the two of them when he, too, saw Naruto's injuries. He stood up, staring at Naruto with narrowed eyes.

"Who did that to you!" Sasuke whispered harshly. "Tell me!"

Naruto forced himself to laugh as he rubbed the back of his head. "It's okay, it's okay," he said, moving away from Hinata and sitting down on the bench. "Besides," he added, glaring at Hinata and Sasuke, "you two are acting out of character. Get a grip!"

Hinata stiffened and glared down at the blond, who did his best to ignore her. She rose her gaze to look at a furious Sasuke, and he sighed and nodded. Scowling, Hinata recomposed herself and moved back to her seat. Sasuke scooted away from Naruto, but kept an eye on the blond in any case. _Sakura won't like this_, he thought, his face paling slightly.

Shortly after that even, Sakura and Ino came bursting into the room, with Ino breathing hard and Sakura acting like she could run a few marathons. Seeing Naruto sitting beside Sasuke, her face paled slightly when she saw how horrible he still looked. Ignoring Ino, Sakura moved down towards Naruto, placing her hands on the desk in front of him. He looked up and saw her face whiten further. "Naruto…" she began, before being pushed out of the way. Surprised, she saw Ino reach for Naruto's V-cut black shirt. Ino pulled the boy out of his seat and pushed him down the stairs as she moved to sit next to Sasuke. Sakura saw Naruto hit the ground and wince in pain, and the thin line of patience she had been holding onto since her father had nearly killed Naruto snapped. Within seconds, a kunai was in her hand and she appeared in front of a shocked Ino, holding the kunai at Ino's throat. Ino's eyes were wide with disbelief and fear as Sakura regarded her with a calm, yet deadly expression.

"You… Never, ever, touch him again. Are we clear?"

Ino stepped back, and looked down at the slowly rising blond. Turning back to Sakura, she mustered a few chuckles, saying, "You're kidding, right, Sakura? That's the dead-last. No need to protect him."

"Yeah, that's another thing," Sakura continued, still gripping her kunai tightly. "You're not going to call him that anymore. He has a name, and you're going to use it!"

Naruto gripped Sakura's shoulder, forcing a grin to his face. "Aw, Sakura, she didn't mean any harm. Don't scare her."

Sakura turned to look at him, her pale, leaf-green eyes filled with tears, anger and determination. Naruto blinked a few times and forgot what he had been trying to do. Turning back to Ino, Sakura said, "If I catch you demeaning him ever again, I will make you regret it, Ino. I don't care if you are my best friend. Now, please step away from me."

The rosette glared at all the people who had began paying attention to the conversation, and just as quickly, they found themselves having something better to do. Catching Hinata's eyes, Sakura readied herself for a look of disappointment, but only found pride in the Hyuuga's eyes. A smile graced the lips of Hinata, and she nodded down at Sakura, who nodded back. Turning to Naruto, she pushed the boy onto the bench before sitting there herself. Looking closely at his wounds, she sighed softly, and pulled Naruto's head down to rest in her lap. Though he resisted, as soon Sakura began to run her fingers through his hair, he began to relax and found himself unwilling to leave his comfy pillow.

Ino continued staring down at Sakura and Naruto, confusion whirling around in his brain. When Iruka came in, she finally gathered some sense and went to go sit down somewhere. Iruka looked up Sakura in confusion when he saw her holding Naruto, but shrugged and figured it wasn't his business. Looking down at his handy-dandy clipboard, saying, "All of you have passed the Genin Exam. Congratulations to all of you, though I have to warn you that it's only going to get harder from here on out. Never forget what you have learned at this academy. Remember: the basics are essential. In any case, I will announce the teams now. Team One is…"

Sakura and Sasuke tuned Iruka out and looked at each other. "Together again, huh, Sasuke?"

"Seems that way. But things are going to change this time around."

"Yes…you aren't too much of an asshole anymore."

Sasuke smirked, though a frown soon became apparent. "I will still have to get that curse seal though. I'll just have to nurture it on my own, instead of going off and staying with that porno idiot Orochimaru."

Sakura scowled at hearing the name of that man, and looked down at the sleeping form of Naruto. Her ears perked up when she heard Iruka announce, "Team Seven consists of Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, and Haruno Sakura. Team Eight carries Hyuuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, and Aburame Shino. Team Nine holds Pekiro Kairo, Pekiro Kiiro, and Roka Minebi. Lastly, Team Ten consists of Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, and Akimichi Chouji."

Iruka grinned up at his students, and said, "I am proud of you all. Your jounin instructors will be in at noon today, giving you about two hours of time to do what you will with. Also, if you arrive later than your instructor, be well assured they _will_ leave without you. All right, dismissed!"

As soon as Sakura had awoken Naruto, Hinata had appeared in front of them, a soft smile still on her face. She looked at Sasuke, and was about to give him a vouch of good luck, when he reached forward. Hinata's eyes widened and her cheeks flushed red as Sasuke gently held her head between his hands and placed a soft kiss on her lips. Sakura, and the newly awakened and healed Naruto, both cheered as soon as Sasuke and Hinata touched lips. Hinata's eyes were still quite wide when Sasuke moved back with a smirk on his face. She glanced at the rosette and blond before looking back at the Uchiha, her face sufficiently red. Backing away, a large smile found its way to her lips, and she ran out to catch up with her two teammates, waving back at Team Seven with enthusiasm. Inuzuka Kiba watched her approach, seeing her face go from happy and exuberant to masked and polite. He stared at her, a frown on her face, but she gave him a polite smile, saying, "We should have lunch together. That way, we can get to know one another better."

As soon as she saw both Shino's and Kiba's astounded faces, she realized her mistake. At this age, she was supposed to not be able to convey her words without stuttering or hesitance. Frustration boiled inside Hinata, and she mentally shrugged her shoulders. _Oh well_, she thought, pulling on the hands of both Shino and Kiba. _Just have to deal and continue on, for now_.

Sasuke watched them walk out, and chuckled. Naruto jumped up on top of the desk, grinning. "Hey, hey! Let's go practice, since we're allowed to be with one another now!"

Sakura felt a twinge in her heart at that announcement, and she shifted her eyes to look away from the blond. Naruto caught the movement, and placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder, grinning. "I'm fine! You're fine! We're both fine! So, let's train!"

Sasuke rose up from where he sat, and placed his hands on his hips, another smirk on his face. "We may as well try to get our chakra control back up, as well as our reserves. Besides Sakura," he said, getting her attention. "You know the idiot will never settle back down until he can get in some training for the day."

Sakura stared at him, understanding this was one of the Uchiha's ways of showing concern. Plastering on a smile for the boys' benefits, she stood up, making a fist. "All right! We have two hours of time to train, so let's get started! First things first – tree climbing!"

Naruto and Sasuke stared at her with expressions of fear, and she laughed. "Come on. It's the best way to get up our chakra reserves for right now. Then we can do some water walking, and then we can start training on the water. We'll systematically raise our reserves, and once Kakashi-sensei is ready to give us that stupid bell test tomorrow, we'll have something interesting to show him."

Naruto made a grin of fierce determination. "All right! I'm all for that!"

"To Team Seven!" yelled Sakura, holding out a hand. Sasuke and Naruto grinned at each other, each clapping a hand over Sakura's.

"To Team Seven!"

* * *

Shouten no Jutsu – Shape Shifting Technique  
Tajyuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu – Multiple Shadow Clone Technique  
Bakuretsu Bunshin no Jutsu – Exploding Clone Technique  
Hakkeshou Kaiten – Eight Trigrams Palms Heavenly Spin  
Tsukiyomi – Moon Reader  
Katon: Ganshou Ryuuseiu no Jutsu – Fire Element: Magma Meteor Shower Technique  
Bunshin no Jutsu – Cloning Technique

First completion: 12/6/2007 1:45:57 PM


	2. Chapter 2

All right, so, here's segment number two. I hope you all will enjoy this chapter. All in all, I originally finished this chapter earlier, but I didn't like the place where I'd ended and thought it could do with more. This addition brought on another 1k+ words, so whatever, I guess.

I've also had a question concerning the age of these time travelers, and so, when they fought against Pein, they were all approximately 20 years of age. I also very much appreciate the reviews I've received in reference to this fan fiction, and I thank you all very much. Well, enough of my talking - please enjoy the story.

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

Chapter Two 

"Ah,_ shit_!"

"Naruto!"

"Geez, again?"

Sasuke and Sakura watched as Naruto flew across the training grounds and slammed into the ground some hundred feet away. Sasuke shrugged his shoulders and shook his head, sighing at the blond's antics. He glanced at the rosette next to him, and flinched when he saw her begin to twitch with anger. Stepping backwards a bit, he gave Sakura more room to stomp over towards the seemingly unconscious blond. Naruto winced a bit as he gathered his senses, frowning as he muttered, "Ah, too much chakra…"

He noticed Sakura come stomping up to him, her pale-green eyes growing darker with her anger. He unconsciously scooted backwards in the grass when Sakura put her face right down in front of his. Her eyebrow twitched some, and Naruto knew he was in trouble. She narrowed her eyes, looking him up and down to see if he was showing any abnormalities. Naruto allowed her to check his ribs, neck, and arms before she sighed and moved away, going out of her doctor mode. He blinked at her, and then showed a grin baring all of his shiny, white teeth. Sakura raised an eyebrow at him, obviously not amused. Naruto moved closer to her, nuzzling her cheek and she looked at him from the corner of her eyes. He grinned when she began to loose her tenseness, and thought he had evaded harm.

"Ow!" he said a second later, as Sakura slammed his head into the ground, the vein at her temple pulsing. Standing up, Sakura glared down at the Kyuubi vessel, her teeth grinding all the while. Naruto mumbled something unintelligible in the dirt, though Sakura was too angry to bother finding out what. When he popped his head out from the ground, he asked in a whiny voice, "Why did you hit me?"

"You idiot!" she yelled at him, putting her hands on her hips. " 'Don't use too much chakra,' we said. 'Don't cause too much of a commotion,' we said. But do you listen? _No_, of course not! Naruto, do you understand our position right now?"

Naruto sighed, standing up as he rubbed the back of his head. Sasuke had walked up to join them, though he said nothing in the slightest. Naruto opened his brilliant, cornflower-blue eyes and looked at Sakura, a frown on his face. She felt her ire die down a bit, as she didn't see him with such a serious expression too much. Naruto crossed his arms over his chest, saying softly, "I'm well aware of our situation. But, it's been a bit compromised now, due to your stunt with Ino."

He then glanced at Sasuke, frowning deeper. "Good thing no one saw your little thing with Hinata, too. Then we would have been called out on it, I think."

Sasuke shrugged, not really caring too much, but understanding where Naruto was coming from. Well, he cared, but, the kiss had been more important to him at that time. It wasn't as if he was going to regret something like that. Sakura shifted her eyes away, remembering her actions. Taking in a deep breath, she said, "I know I was wrong to go ballistic like that, but, she hurt you."

"Life hurts me, Sakura-chan," Naruto consoled softly, "but I will keep living on, because I have you. Don't pay too much attention to what others do to me – they're still growing up. And you know as well as I do that most all the Rookie Nine couldn't stand me initially."

Sasuke put a hand on Sakura's shoulder briefly before letting it fall. "He's right. Now you're going to have to put on the show of your life for that blunder. Even if you have to punch Naruto halfway across Konoha."

Naruto waved wildly at Sasuke, his blue eyes wide with panic. "Hey! Don't put evil thoughts in her head!"

Sasuke smirked at the blond, who only scowled in return. Dragging Naruto back towards the trees by the sleeve of his shirt, he said as he walked, "Despite all that, you still haven't relearned how to climb trees. Don't use so much chakra. Geez, it's like you never learned in the first place."

Sakura followed along behind, her face contemplative as she watched Sasuke shove Naruto over to a tree. She walked up to where Sasuke was and watched Naruto form the Ram seal, his eyes closed as he concentrated. Looking at Sasuke, she muttered, "What are you talking about? You haven't reached the top yet, Mr. Know-It-All."

When Sasuke looked at her with a bored expression, she glared at him and he sighed. Walking over to the tree next to Naruto, he also made the Ram seal and focused his chakra. Both the boys soon had blue chakra spiraling around them, slowly being forced down to be concentrated only on their feet. Coal-black and cornflower-blue eyes opened simultaneously as they both moved towards the tree in front of them. Each placed one foot on the tree, and measured whether it was enough chakra or too much. After a second, Sasuke felt confident enough to place another foot up on the tree, and then another. Soon enough, he was walking up the tree slowly, letting the gravity try and force him down as he walked. Naruto had also begun his trek up the tree, though he was sighing in relief when he didn't go flying away from the tree. Sakura couldn't help but allow a grin to grow as she watched her teammates climb the tree casually. Looking up at the sky, she soon frowned as she realized the time. She looked back towards the boys, her eyes narrowing, but she was surprised to find they were at the very tip of the tree. Naruto stared down at her, eyebrows raised.

"What's up?" he called down.

Sakura pointed up towards the sun, and the two boys looked up into the sky as well, measuring the placement of the sun. Sasuke frowned, and bent down on the tree where he had stood, pushing off of the trunk and flying down towards the ground. He hit the ground lightly, looking at Sakura as she rolled her eyes. Naruto jumped down next to Sasuke, and grinned.

"Time to go meet Kakashi-sensei."

* * *

Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto had just sat down in the required classroom with all the other students, when Iruka came in, carrying his handy-dandy clipboard. He eyed Sakura and Naruto, and was relieved to find Sakura back to normal and glaring at Naruto. Naruto bore a large bruise on his cheek, and he cursed Sakura's acting skills. So he'd gotten a bit close to Sasuke…but did she really have to hit him so hard? Even if it was just in jest? "Not fair," he whined loudly, granting himself yet another hard punch in the back of the head. 

"Shut up, Naruto," Sakura said, allowing her voice to carry as she clung to Sasuke. Naruto looked at her pitifully, and then glared at Sasuke. "Argh, you stupid bastard! Stay away from Sakura-chan!"

"Don't call me Sakura-chan!"

The number one rookie groaned as the rosette clung even harder to his arm, and he pushed her away harshly, knowing it wouldn't really hurt it her. Glaring at Sakura, he said, "Could you not touch me, you weirdo?"

"Don't call Sakura-chan a weirdo!"

"Damn it, Naruto! Didn't I tell you not to call me Sakura-chan!"

The next thing the class knew, Sakura had smashed her fist into his face and sent him flying straight into the wall in the front of the classroom. Hitting the wall hard, Naruto groaned softly as he slid down to hit the floor with a thump. Sakura was still standing with her fist clenched, breathing in and out quickly. Nodding in content now that she'd gotten rid of the idiot, she sat closer to Sasuke and once again clung to him.

The entire class, save for Shino, Shikamaru, Sasuke, and Hinata laughed at the blond at his expense. Iruka sighed at the kunoichi's words and actions, though he was a bit grateful the girl had returned to normal. The day before had kind of scared him. His eyebrows raised when he heard a sound at the door, and he quickly remembered his duties. Gathering everyone's attention, Iruka said,

"All right, all of you! Your jounin instructors are here to pick you up! When they come in and call your team number, you will then follow them and do as they say. From this point on, I am no longer your instructor. Fare well, all of you."

Iruka turned to leave, casting the groaning Naruto one last look before he walked out of the classroom door. Not too long after, seven jounin walked in, each calling for their team. Soon after, a tall, bearded man who was smoking walked into the room, his hands in his pockets. Casting the left over kids a bored glance, he said, "Team Ten, you're with me. Let's go."

Shikamaru, Ino, and Chouji all rose up to follow after the bearded man. Hinata smiled slightly when a woman with unruly black hair and piercing red eyes came in after the other team had left. The woman glanced over at where Naruto was, before frowning and narrowing her eyes slightly. Looking back over at the other three left, she said softly, "I am the jounin instructor for Team Eight. Would you please follow me?"

Hinata and Shino stood, though both hesitated as Kiba let out a sound of disbelief. He stared at the woman with incredulity, pointing down at her. "We have a _woman_ for an instructor? You've got to be kidding me!"

Shino turned to look at the dog-carrying boy with annoyance, saying softly, "I see nothing wrong with her gender. She's a jounin for a reason."

"Yeah, but, women are weak! Come on, bug-boy! Don't you even know that?"

Naruto and Sasuke flinched slightly upon hearing Kiba's comment, and Naruto slowly looked up to see Hinata's reaction to the statement. His eyes widened, and he pushed himself back towards the wall when he saw a cold expression on the girl's face, her lips curved in a soft smile. Sasuke's eyes were wide as he, too, looked at his fiancé with fear. He and Naruto both looked at one another, each thinking to the last time Kiba had implied women being weaker than men.

* * *

_Naruto, Sasuke, Kiba, Akamaru, and Hinata were all sitting down in their camp within the borders of the Land of the Wind, each resting from having run so far in one day. Naruto grinned and laughed at something Kiba had said, his entire body shaking with the convulsions. The two had been commenting on some idiot from the Sunagakure who had tried to fight them when Kiba said something that interested Hinata_

"_You know," Kiba continued, a thoughtful look on his face. "I don't think he would have bothered trying to stop us if Hinata hadn't been on our team."_

_Sasuke narrowed his eyes, his voice low in warning as he asked, "What are you getting at?"_

_Kiba smirked, shrugging his shoulders. "I'm just saying – I'm not sure that guy would have tried getting at us if we'd had another guy on the team, rather than a girl. I'm not trying to say anything bad about Hinata, but whenever she's with us, we seem to get a bit more trouble. Like, people are always thinking we're suddenly a lot weaker just because we've got a girl with us. What's up with that?"_

_Naruto wisely stayed silent as he continued eating his sandwich. Sasuke grabbed Kiba by his jacket collar, growling. "Watch who you're talking to, dog-boy!"_

_A hand touched Sasuke lightly on the shoulder and he looked up to see Hinata smiling down at him. Naruto frowned when he saw her smile didn't quite reach her eyes, but only took another bite of his sandwich. Kiba looked up at Hinata with a bored expression, sighing when Sasuke finally let go of him. He watched Hinata stand up and move past him, softly saying, "Don't eat anymore, Naruto. I'm going to start making supper."_

" '_Kay."_

_Kiba let out a bark of laughter, raising his hands up in a cheer even as Sasuke continued to glare at him. The boy leaned back to lie his head on the giant dog Akamaru, sighing in happiness. "Man, you're so lucky, Sasuke!"_

_Sasuke, who had just grabbed the rest of a sandwich out of Naruto's hands, looked at Kiba with annoyance apparent on his face. "What are you talking about?"_

"_I would love it if I could have a woman like Hinata who's nice enough to make me dinner all the time! Does she do your clothes, too?"_

"_I do my own."_

"_What, really?" asked Kiba, sitting up. He looked at Hinata, who raised an eyebrow at him as she skinned a portion of a large pig. Kiba grinned, saying, "I would think you'd be the type to do all the homebody stuff. You know, like cleaning, cooking…woman duties. I mean, I know how hard you work as a kunoichi, but I bet you wish you didn't have to fight all the time. Relax from a mission next time and just stay home and do that stuff. Might make you happy, you know."_

_Within a flash, Sasuke was standing and holding Kiba up by the coat collar again. His eyes flashed red with three tomoe appearing in each eye as he glared at the other man. Kiba held up his hands in a defensive motion, brown eyes widening. Sasuke growled, his teeth gritted tightly._

"_You've definitely barked up your last tree, Kiba…"_

"_Sasuke!"_

_Sasuke frowned and turned his head to look at Hinata, who stood in near him. A small smile was on her face, and she waved a hand slowly while saying, "Let Kiba go. He just said what he thought was correct – don't let it bother you."_

_Sasuke dropped Kiba – his surprise had been that great. "But…what he said… That…wait, you're not mad?"_

_Hinata let out a laugh, her eyes softening at Kiba. "Hmm…well, that's an interesting question. I'm not so sure I know how to answer that right now. I don't think I am. Oh, and by the way, Kiba…"_

_Kiba looked at her, and made a hesitant grin when he saw her smile grow a bit. "Yeah, Hinata? Oh, and by the way, I hadn't meant any of that stuff in a disrespectful manner."_

"_Yes, yes, I'm well aware," Hinata said, her smile still apparent. "But, did you know? You're standing in my divination circle."_

_Kiba barely had time to make a vocalize his obvious confusion before Hinata's fingers were jabbing into his body, and hitting his tenketsu. "Two strikes!" she called out as she hit two tenketsu. Bringing her other hand forward, she said, "Four strikes!"_

"_Eight strikes! Sixteen strikes! Thirty-two strikes! _Sixty-four strikes!_"_

_The last strike struck Kiba hard and he went flying as Hinata yelled out, "_Hakke Rokujyuuyon Sho_!"_

_Naruto and Sasuke's mouths were agape as they saw Kiba fly through the air and hit the ground a bit farther away. Their faces were pale as they stared at the now frowning Hyuuga matriarch, and they were frightened to see her eyes were cold and frosty. When she looked at the other two men, they felt as if a blizzard had begun to wrap around them and cover them in a snow blanket. Naruto made a sound close to that of a whining puppy when Hinata had turned around and looked at them. Her eyes lost their frostiness and she said softly,_

"_Dinner will be ready in a bit. Could you wait a bit longer?"_

_Both men nodded as they escaped the frigidness of the area and retreated with an unconscious Kiba._

* * *

Both Sasuke and Naruto shuddered more and more as they saw the smile grow on Hinata's face. Kiba looked up at her with a bored expression, and Hinata shook her head, remembering to do a stutter as she said, "…I-I t-think she'll b-be a g-good instructor, K-Kiba-san…." 

Kiba scowled at his new teammate before he rose up and started walking down the stairs, with Shino following behind. Hinata made a slight grin as she passed her fellow time-travelers. Though Sakura looked back at her with some curiosity, Sasuke and Naruto looked at Hinata, horrified.

_She remembered!_

Giggling softly, she walked out of the room behind her teammates and jounin instructor. The last two males in the room slid to the floor, relief completely overtaking them, though Sakura continued to look confused. Popping up quickly, Naruto crawled over to the desk in front of Sakura, and hefted himself up on it. Sakura looked at him with a small frown, though she said nothing to discourage him. Sasuke just sat back in his seat, resting his head back on his hands.

"Sakura-chan," Naruto began. "How much time do we have left until he shows up?"

"Probably close to an hour, or so."

Sasuke blew some hair out of his face and said in a bored tone, "Then maybe we should set some more ground rules meanwhile."

"Good idea," Naruto said, and Sakura nodded in agreement. "First things first – no more mistakes. We can't have people wondering what's wrong with us every time we open our mouths."

"That and," Sasuke continued in Naruto's stead, "our abilities must_ always_ be hidden from everyone. When we have that test with Kakashi tomorrow, we can't let him think we're holding back. He'll think we're spies or something similar."

Sasuke met Sakura's eyes and she narrowed her own, impatiently swiping hair away of her face. Adopting a thinking pose, the pink-haired kunoichi thought over when they had been on Team Seven the first time, and found herself wondering if they could put up such a front. Of course, Naruto could, she concluded, watching as he continued looking at anything and everything that caught his interest. Sliding her gaze over the Uchiha, she realized that it wouldn't be too hard of a task for him to follow accordingly to either, but what about her? Could she really play the part of the idiotic, Sasuke-loving fan girl who couldn't fight to save her own life?

"This…may prove to be a bit more difficult for me," Sakura conceded, closing her eyes in frustration. "If nothing else, I'm the one who's made a complete 180 degree turn, and I'm not so sure I can go back to being that silly girl anymore."

Naruto shrugged, grinning at her. "We'll cross that hurdle when we get to it. Meanwhile," he said, eyebrows narrowing slowly, "do we tell the Hokage?"

"No!" said Sasuke harshly. "We tell no one of our current circumstances. I already discussed this with Hinata, and she firmly agrees. Aside of that, time jutsus are strictly forbidden and we'd already be considered traitors by going forth and explaining our situation. Not to mention that we'd have to prove we were who we were claiming to be."

Sakura and Naruto frowned more deeply, each sighing over the problems that lay in front of them. Naruto leaned back and allowed himself to do a backwards flip to land on his feet on the ground. Stretching, he jumped up and touched the ceiling, allowing chakra to flow around his feet as he clung. Though Sasuke was amused, he said, "No more of that either. At least not until a little after we trained on trees."

"Geez, you're like my mom, Sasuke," said Naruto, a pout on his face. He dropped to the ground, doing a back flip to land on his feet once again. Sakura chuckled before a thought struck her. "Hey, Naruto. You're not going to play any tricks on Kakashi this time?"

"What?" asked Naruto, giving her a strange look. "What do you…oh! Oh, oh! I totally forgot about that!"

Dashing to the chalkboard, Naruto grabbed an eraser and raced to the classroom door. Sasuke placed his head in his hands, sighing softly. "Did you have to remind him of that?"

Sakura laughed softly, her eyes softening as she watched Naruto set up the eraser precisely in the door. The grin on the blond's face was more than enough to alleviate her of her earlier worries, and she had always thought it to have been a funny event. Naïve, and a bit immature, but funny nonetheless. Naruto jumped down from the door, and looked at it with a critical eye. "Perfect," he exclaimed. "Now when that guy comes in, he'll have a surprise waiting for him!"

_Again_, thought the three simultaneously. Naruto glanced at Sakura, smiling bright enough to light a darkened room. "How long 'til he comes? How long, how long?"

"Geez, you don't even have to _act_ like a kid, do you, idiot? It just comes naturally, doesn't it?" Sasuke said, annoyance creeping in.

"Better than being an asshole with a stick up his butt. You know…like you!"

"What was that? You aiming for a fight, idiot?"

"You want to bring it? I can't wait to take your ass down!"

Sakura glanced from one of the boys to the other, her annoyance starting to pique. "Would you both just shut the hell up!"

Seconds passed where Naruto and Sasuke ended up just glaring at each other, before switching their glare over to the pink-haired girl. Sakura felt their stares and glared back, feeling herself stand to gain more leverage over the two. She focused in on Naruto, and he met her gaze defiantly. She grinned evilly at him, saying, "What was that, Naruto? You don't want to touch me anymore? Well, well, that's news to me. I mean, sure, if you want."

Naruto stared at her, gaping at her sheer audacity of her blackmail. "That's…that's cruel, Sakura-chan!"

"And you," she said, glaring next at Sasuke. "I'm sure Hinata would love to hear of your immature battle with Naruto. I mean, it wouldn't waste her time to date an immature jerk at all. Nah, I bet she'll still love you…just won't date you anytime soon."

"That's low," muttered Sasuke, putting his hands in his pockets as he looked away from the kunoichi. Sakura cackled softly, though she immediately stopped when the door to the classroom slide open quickly. The sound of an eraser bouncing off the silver-haired jounin instructor left her blond teammate in fits of laughter as he rolled back and forth on the floor. Hatake Kakashi stared at the three children who had been left in his care, and found himself not liking them at all, really.

"Hmm, how should I say this?" Kakashi began, looking up at the ceiling. "My first impressions of you guys are…I hate you."

No matter whether they had heard it before or not, it still felt a bit bad.

"In any case," Kakashi continued, "meet me on the roof and we'll go on from there."

Making half a seal, the three shinobi watched as their teacher vanished before their eyes. Naruto blew a raspberry at the spot where the jounin had once stood and walked over to the door. Looking back at his fellow teammates, he made a grin, saying, "This…is going to be fun."

"Or boring as hell," Sasuke added, following behind his teammates.

* * *

"Let's see," said Kakashi, looking at the three kids sitting a small distance away from him. "Why don't you all introduce yourselves? You know, likes, dislikes, hobbies, dreams. That stuff." 

"Why don't you go first, sensei," said Sakura, leaning forward in anticipation. _Not like we don't already know everything about you, pervert_.

Kakashi looked at them with his one showing eye, and in a bored tone said, "I have no intention of telling you my likes and dislikes. As for my dream…hmm. I have a few hobbies."

Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke all deadpanned at Kakashi's answers, realizing they once again would hear nothing more about their teacher. Naruto grimaced at his teammates and sighed, saying, "My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I like ramen. I hate Sasuke. I have tons of hobbies. Everyone knows my dream."

Sakura shrugged, and said, "My name is Haruno Sakura. I like…well," she paused, glancing over at Sasuke, while Naruto helped by glaring at the raven-haired boy. "My hobbies are… My dream is…"

Sakura remembered what one of her goals actually was and her face flushed red as she turned away from the two boys. Kakashi sighed, believing her to be too far gone to become an efficient kunoichi. Frowning, though the three couldn't tell due to his mask, he said, "And? What do you hate?"

The kunoichi realized she couldn't really lie and said instead, "Idiots. And perverts."

"Well, how interesting. Now, you."

Sasuke glared up at his sensei, softly saying, "Uchiha Sasuke. I hate a lot of things, and don't like many things. And my dream…no, ambition, is to kill a certain man and restore my clan."

Kakashi stared at Sasuke, his right eye narrowing slightly as he thought, _I thought so_.

"Interesting as you all are, I have more important matters to talk to you about. We have a mission tomorrow, and you guys are going to performing it."

Sakura glanced at Sasuke, though he made sure to ignore her. Her right eye twitched a bit, but she ignored him for the lack of nothing better to do. Looking back at their instructor, she asked, "What kind of mission?"

"An exercise – survival training."

"What for?" shot Sakura in return. "We already learned survival training back at the academy. There's no need for us to do more of it. Besides, what kind of training could it possibly be?"

"This is not ordinary training, kiddies," Kakashi said, beginning to laugh softly. He waved his hand in apology as he explained, "Sorry, sorry. Just, when you hear this, you're going to flip. I mean, after all, out of the twenty-seven graduates, only nine actually become genin. In other words, this exercise has a sixty-six percent dropout rate."

Now that he'd heard the rating of the test again, Naruto didn't have to fake his surprise. "What! Are you serious? But we're already genin! What was that other exam for?"

"That just chose those that were qualified enough to become genin. Anyway, tomorrow, I'll determine if you're truly good enough to pass. So, bring your ninja gear and meet me at the training grounds at five tomorrow morning. Dismissed. Oh, and one more thing," the jounin said as he readied himself to leave, "don't eat breakfast tomorrow. You'll throw up. Now, see you!"

The three shinobi let out a large sigh as the ninja vanished from their sights and senses. "Fuck that," declared Naruto. "I'm totally eating this time, and I'm definitely not showing up 'til ten."

"Yeah, no joke," agreed Sakura, stretching her torso. "Last time definitely hurt me, and I need to be at my best for tomorrow. What are we going to do anyway?"

Sasuke smirked, waving for the two others to come in closer. Each moved towards Sasuke, and he whispered, "I've got a plan."

* * *

The next morning at ten, Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto all showed up, having rested well and ate a hearty breakfast. Naruto sniffed the air and grinned, watching as their instructor appeared in front of them. Sasuke glared at him, and Sakura felt bestowing him with her attention was too difficult a task. The blond, Kakashi found, was just grinning dangerously at him. Of course, he didn't really care why, but it made him ponder just what the village idiot was thinking. He walked over to a nearby wooden post and placed an alarm clock on it. "The alarm is set for noon. Your task is to acquire one of these two bells from me," he said while holding up two bells attached to strings. "Whoever can't will end up not having lunch, being tied to one of those three posts over there, and failing automatically." 

Kakashi tied the bells to his waist, and put his hands on his hips as he looked at the genin-wannabes. "Of course," he continued, "you won't get them unless you come at me with an intent to kill. Anyway, let's get started, since none of you seem to have any questions."

Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura all stood near each other as he finished his speech, before bending down and jumping out of Kakashi's sight. The silver-haired jounin looked at the empty space in front of him in surprise, muttering, "I didn't even say to start yet…"

The man turned around, concentrating on chakra signatures, and was happy to see his team had hidden itself well. That is, except for the black-clad blond standing not too far away from him. Naruto chuckled as he stood in front of Copycat Kakashi, his arms crossed over his chest. "Let's have a match fair and square!" exclaimed Naruto, his grin widening to show his sharp incisors. "How's that sound, Kakashi-sensei? Then I'll show you how good I am!"

Sasuke and Sakura couldn't help but let out a few chuckles from where they hid. _That Naruto_, thought Sakura endearingly. _He's enjoying this far too much_.

Kakashi frowned at the blond, saying, "You're a little weirder than the others."

"The only thing weird here is your hair!" yelled Naruto, charging forward as he unsheathed a kunai. The boy grinned as he saw Kakashi pull out a little, orange book and he jumped up to throw a kick. Chuckling when he was blocked, Naruto spiraled around towards his left and touched the ground with his right hand as he threw up a hard kick towards Kakashi again. Of course it was blocked, but Naruto was nonplussed as he continued throwing more and more combos. Swirling around in the dirt, Naruto's eyes narrowed dangerously as he pushed chakra from beneath his feet and swung his legs up towards Kakashi's arms. Kakashi jumped back, but not without a small repercussion. Naruto hit the ground hard and jumped up while grabbing the small, orange book. The jounin stared at the blond in disbelief and horror. The future Hokage looked back at the jounin with a malicious grin before running off into the dense vegetation.

Kakashi, after gaining back his senses, raced after the blond and stopped short when two shuriken sank down into the ground in front of him. A flash of black appeared in front of Kakashi's eyes, but he easily blocked the downward kick that Sasuke threw at him. Making a sound of irritation, Sasuke bent backwards and hit the ground on all four limbs, pushing with his legs towards the jounin.

"Fight me!" he yelled at the jounin, throwing a large amount of punches and kicks. "Forget that loser and concentrate on me!"

Seeing no choice in the matter, Kakashi grabbed Sasuke's left leg and spun in a circle, holding Sasuke out to his side. The Uchiha grimaced as the world spun around quickly until Kakashi suddenly let go and he was flying out across the ground. Readying himself for a lot of pain, Sasuke stretched a hand out over the bypassing horizon and felt his entire body shift as he grabbed hold of a patch of grass. His body flipped over and he shouted at in pain when he felt his arm being pulled away from his body. Inertia kicked in and Sasuke continued to fly until he hit the ground rolling, curse words flying out of his mouth as he went. Climbing to his feet even as he continued to slide, Sasuke pushed himself forward with a blast of chakra and charged towards the jounin again. Meeting the silver-haired instructor kunai on kunai, Sasuke felt his irritation grow as he yearned more and more to rid himself of the stupid façade.

Sakura continued to look on from where she still hid, and was hardly surprised when Naruto appeared right beside her. They both looked down at the fighting Sasuke, and Naruto sighed, saying, "He's getting annoyed. We'd better finish this up quick."

"Right," Sakura agreed, her voice soft. "It's my turn now."

She took out two shuriken, and vanished from her position beside Naruto. The blond stuck his book inside his back pocket, and vanished as well. Sakura appeared next to Sasuke, turning clockwise rapidly as she held her arms out while carrying the kunai. Soon enough, Sakura was spinning fast enough to create a small, yet sharp, tornado as she spun towards Kakashi. He looked down at her, apparently not grasping the meaning of her little tornado. Readying himself to jump back, he was surprised to find both Naruto and Sasuke behind him, each wielding a kunai as they charged towards him. Seeing the man focus instead on them, Sakura stopped her revolutions and jumped up on Kakashi's back, her kunai going for his neck. Kakashi grunted at having her weight suddenly thrown on him, and was readying himself to throw her off when Sasuke reached for the bells. The young jounin switched direction and saw Sasuke fall flat on his face. Everything came to stop, however, when Kakashi saw Naruto holding a kunai up near his favorite book.

Kakashi stared at the smirking Naruto, fear running through his veins. "You wouldn't…"

"In a heartbeat," Naruto began, but frowned when he heard the bell ring. "What, two hours already? No way!"

Kakashi chuckled, and pushed the unprepared Sakura off of him as he grabbed his lovely book. Turning back towards the group, he said, "Well, time's up, and none of you have bells. I guess you all fail."

"Check again," said Sakura, her voice low as she smirked at the teacher. "I think we definitely passed, since we have the bells."

"Oh?" Kakashi inquired, reaching for the bells still at his waist. With two puffs of smoke, his bells disappeared, and he stared down in complete shock. Looking up at his students, he saw each one look at him with a smirk on their faces. "How?"

The Naruto in front of him disappeared with a puff of smoke, and Kakashi saw another one come out from the underbrush, holding two jingling bells. Naruto walked up to his two teammates, and gave them each a bell. Looking at the bewildered sensei, he said, "Underneath the underneath. I originally came at you only for the book you decided to pull out. Seeing it as a way to hinder your concentration, I took it and hid in the underbrush. While I was hiding, I made a Kage Bunshin and gave the book to him."

Sasuke continued with, "After he hid, I took it upon myself to fight you. You'd already lost your concentration with what Naruto did, so keeping you in that state was no hard feat. All I had to do was give Naruto and Sakura the time they needed to do their parts."

"I," Sakura began, "was to hide until the very end where I would again distract you from the noticing the fact that Naruto was coming up behind you to grab the bells. From then on, Sasuke-kun and the Kage Bunshin distracted you from noticing the real Naruto running back into hiding."

"And the rest as everyone says," said Naruto, grinning, "is history."

A grin came to Kakashi's face, and he looked down at the little hellions who had passed his test with flying colors. "Well, well. I never saw it coming. Guess I can truthfully say you three are the first to pass my survival test. Congratulations."

"Yes!" shouted Naruto, jumping up in the air. "We passed!"

"Do you know why?" asked Kakashi, and sighed upon seeing blank faces. "The object was not to acquire the bells, but to have good teamwork. After all, those who disregard orders are considered scum, but those who disregard their friends…are trash."

"Whatever," said Sasuke. "I passed, so I'm out of here."

Naruto stared at the raven-haired boy as he walked away. Watching Sakura follow the Uchiha in 'glee,' Naruto sighed and looked at the ground. "Hey, Kakashi-sensei," he said softly, gaining the jounin's attention. "What do you do when you love a girl so much, but her parents hate you and think you're not worth the gum stuck to their shoes?"

"Hmm," murmured the Copycat Jounin, frowning. "Well, you'll just have to find a way to either gain their acceptance, or go with your instincts. Anyway, I have to tell the Hokage I'm passing you guys so, I'll see you later with our mission details."

Naruto watched him disappear and sighed. "Instincts…huh?"

* * *

Haruno Minoru glanced up from his paper as Sakura came in through the front door, a smile on his face. Sakura glanced up and saw him, and forced a smile to her face though she quickly looked away. Confusion marred Minoru's features until he remembered what had take place the other day, and it left him filled with an unbridled anger. It was all that Kyuubi brat's fault for his daughter's behavior towards him. Feeling his temper rise, Minoru rose up from where he sat and walked over to his daughter, smiling brightly. "How's my girl?" he asked, bending down. "You have fun with your team?" 

"Yes," Sakura began cautiously. "We're officially genin now."

"Oh? Well, who's your instructor, and who are your teammates?"

Though she knew the question was going to come, that didn't make the mentally twenty-year-old Sakura any more prepared than before. "Ah," she started. "My instructor is Hatake Kakashi."

"Copycat Kakashi?" Minoru said, eyes widening in surprise. "That's an interesting guy you've got. And? What about your teammates?"

"Uchiha Sasuke, and Uzumaki Naruto."

Minoru had been nodding at the mention of the last Uchiha being on his daughter's team, and was in a relatively good mood until he heard the name of her second teammate. He stood up straight until he reached his full height and glared down at his daughter. Sakura met his glare with her own. Really, just what was with her father anyway? So Naruto had the Kyuubi – what was the big deal? Honestly, she could go into the past one thousand times and still never understand what made them hate the boy so. Taking a risk, she said softly, "I don't understand why you hate him. What has he ever done to you?"

"You will not cross me right now, Sakura," Minoru began, his voice taking on a dangerous tone. "Nor will you question me. I am your father and I know what's best."

"Yes, you most certainly do," Sakura began, her anger beginning to come forth. "After all, you know it's best for me to witness you beating down a boy less than half your age. I mean, since you condone violence and everything. Perfect father material, I'd say."

"Do not question my actions, young lady!" the man nearly shouted. "I have your best interests at heart! Being with that…that _thing_ will only harm you in the end!"

"Yes, because he's just some crazy dragon demon sent out to burn my body to a crisp and stuff it into some lost cavern!" she shouted back. "Face it, you've got nothing on him but your own insecurities!"

"You dare to question your father?" roared Minoru, dark green eyes darkening even further.

"I dare to question a fool who doesn't know when to let go of his prideful attitude!"

A slap rang through the air, and Sakura's eyes were wide in shock as she found her cheek burning with pain. Her eyes turned up to look at her father and found him looking at his hand in shock. He looked down at her, and she stared at him. Her eyes, once darkened with anger, became dull and lifeless as she stared up at him, and she abruptly turned around and walked up the stairs to her room. Minoru looked up after her, and clenched his hand into a fist. "I…I hit her," he whispered as the front door opened again, but this time to a woman with long, dark pink hair wearing a chuunin vest. Her golden eyes looked up saw her husband staring at his clenched fist. Minoru looked at his wife and saw her confused, yet worried expression.

"What happened?" Haruno Michiru asked, eyes wide and searching. "Is Sakura okay?"

Minoru cleared his throat, and clenched both his fists in newly gained anger. "Sakura is on a team with that demon!"

"What!" exclaimed Michiru, shocked. "We've got to do something! We can't have her being poisoned by that demon!"

"I'll go talk to Iruka," Minoru said, eyes narrowed. "You just returned from a mission, so you go ahead and rest. I'll take care of everything."

* * *

Iruka was sitting down and readying himself to grade some papers when a man with dark brown hair burst in, forest-green eyes blazing. Recognizing the man as Haruno Sakura's father, he smiled and asked, "What can I do for you today, Haruno-san?" 

"Umino-san, why did you pass that demon?" Minoru said, slamming his hands on Iruka's desk. "Don't you know what repercussions could come from such a deed?"

Iruka stared at him, not fully understanding what was going on. Both men turned their attention to the door when they heard another person come in. The man had shoulder-length silver hair and malicious-looking eyes as he glanced in on the two others. Minoru rose up off Iruka's desk and went straight towards the other man. "Finally, a man with sense! Mizuki! Tell me why that demon passed!"

Iruka rose up, anger apparent on his face. Mizuki raised up a hand to warn off Iruka as he said to Minoru, "Uzumaki-san, right? Come with me, Minoru, and I'll tell you the details concerning the boy."

Minoru stared at him in disbelief, though Iruka relaxed visibly. A smile was on the teacher's face as he looked over at Mizuki, trusting the silver-haired man to handle the Haruno. Mizuki smiled at Iruka and turned to guide Minoru out the door. Outside of the classroom, Minoru was ready to explode at his friend, but Mizuki just glared at him and pointed him down the hall.

"Let's go to a place where we can talk without worry."

Though still greatly upset with his friend's actions, Minoru pursed his lips and marched down the hallway after Mizuki. The two walked down the corridor, bypassing several doors as they took a right into a staircase corner. Moving up the stairs, only the clapping of their sandals hitting the wooden steps could be heard. Again, the two walked down a long corridor, only stopping after another two minutes. Mizuki slid open a door, and gestured for Minoru to go in before him. After the man did the task, Mizuki went in as well and slid the door closed behind him. His eyes having looked somewhat warm before, turned freezing cold as he addressed Minoru,

"That demon wasn't supposed to pass."

"Then why is it running out there showing off our village hitai-ate like some proud fool?" Minoru demanded. "And did you know? That beast is teamed together with my daughter and the last Uchiha!"

"Yes, I know. I was certain he would fail, so had planned to have him steal the Scroll of Forbidden Jutsu for me as a way of earning his genin rank."

Minoru stared hard at Mizuki, his green eyes narrowing slightly. "You weren't going to pass him."

"Absolutely not! But, I would have had that scroll in return. But, I think I can still do it…and have that demon exiled from this village, or killed. Killed, preferably…but whatever gets rid of him."

"I'm all ears," Minoru said, causing Mizuki to smirk. The silver-haired man clapped a hand on the dirty-blond-haired man's shoulder, saying, "Good. All we need is your daughter's help."

"My daughter?"

* * *

Two hours later had the two men tying a sleeping Sakura to the trunk of a large tree, making knots too difficult for even an experienced shinobi to undo. Minoru placed a hand on Sakura's head, his green eyes staring down sadly at his daughter. "I'm sorry, Sakura," he said softly, stroking her pink hair tenderly. "I really am, but that demon…" 

Mizuki was looking off into the dense vegetation, calmly waiting for his partner to finish whatever he needed to say to the unconscious girl. When Minoru came up to Mizuki, the latter nodded with a smirk. "All right, you're clear on the plan? Get that beast over here, and then we'll goad him into getting the scroll. Then we'll go from there."

"Roger," Minoru said with his own smirk as he vanished in a swirl of leaves.

Flashing as he landed on a rooftop, the man narrowed his dark, forest-green eyes and sped forward, the wind racing in his wake. Hitting one roof after another, the man finally saw the blond brat at the demon's favorite restaurant: Ichiraku. Minoru landed right outside the restaurant, and mussed up his hair as if he had been in a tussle. Running through the flaps, a frightened expression on his face, Minoru spotted a frowning Naruto looking back at him. The Haruno breathed in and out quickly, reaching for large gulps of air, while Naruto's right eyebrow slowly rose up. Clapping his hands on the demon's shoulders, Minoru said, "Sakura! H-he's got her! He…! Help me!"

Naruto had spun around quickly, cornflower-blue eyes narrowing. "Sakura? What's happened, Haruno-san? Who's got her?"

"Just come with me!" Minoru exclaimed, moving to jump on the rooftops. To his surprise, he found Naruto was right behind him, and keeping up with every step. The two in flashes of yellow leapt from roof to roof, and raced across Konoha. Minoru kept glancing back at boy, frowning as he saw the demon wasn't even winded in the least. Naruto met his gaze, realized his mistake, and found himself tripping off of the last rooftop from his realization. The Haruno chuckled, blaming the speed on the demon's overwhelming amount of stamina. If nothing else, the Kyuubi vessel had guts, stamina, and chakra, but that was all.

Naruto rubbed his head as he pushed himself off the ground. _Damn it_, he thought glaring down at the dirt as he bent down. _I was so upset about Sakura that I didn't even think to slow my pace down. Geez, I'm such a hypocrite._

With a small blast of chakra, Naruto pushed off the ground and landed on the rooftop next to Sakura's father. Looking up at the man, and feeling slightly inferior due to his small stature, Naruto nodded sharply. With that movement, Minoru blasted off with Naruto trailing behind slightly. Ten minutes later, due to Naruto's slower pace, led the two to a forest on the outskirts of Konoha and landing in front of a still-unconscious Sakura. Naruto gritted his teeth and made a move forward when Mizuki came into the scene. Seeing the silver-haired chuunin, Naruto bared his teeth in anger and took a kunai. Holding it in front of him, Naruto yelled, "What have you done to her, you bastard!"

Haruno Minoru glared at Mizuki as well, saying, "Let go of my daughter, Mizuki! What do you want with her?"

Mizuki glared at Minoru and smirked at the blond vessel. "I have her as a type of…ransom. Tell you what, you get me that Scroll of Forbidden Jutsu, and I'll give you this girl, right here."

Naruto took a step forward, eyes blazing with anger. He swung his kunai around his right index finger before gripping the handle tightly in a fist. "How about I just kill you now, and take her anyway?"

"Oh, no, I don't think you want to do that," Mizuki said snidely, flicking a kunai towards the unconscious girl's throat. "That is, if you still want her alive by the time you actually get to me."

The blond's eyes widened, and he glared at the teacher as he sheathed his kunai. "What…and you want me to get you that scroll? I won't do it! I'll just save her instead!"

Minoru stepped into Naruto's path, his eyes sorrowful as he looked down at the demon. "Please, Uzumaki-san. If you care for my daughter at all, then please get the scroll, so I can have her back at home safe with her parents. Please."

The vessel looked up at the older Haruno, eyes widening slightly as his head fell. Without another word, Naruto vanished from the site and landed on a tree, facing away from the two men. "I'll get that scroll," said Naruto, venom laced in his words. "But you had better not lay a hand on Sakura, Mizuki. Or I'll kill you."

Looking back towards the pink-haired girl, Naruto gritted his teeth and jumped from the tree branch back towards Konoha. Racing through the trees, he ran through the open gates of Konoha and jumped straight up to reach a rooftop. Bouncing from one roof to another, two crystalline tears were swept away from Naruto's eyes as he cut through the wind. "Sakura," he murmured, eyes hardened. "I'll save you…I promise!"

* * *

Sasuke slurped his noodles as soon as he had grasped them with his chopsticks. Soon after, he was digging again into his bowl of ramen and slurping up more noodles, much to Hinata's pleasure. She smiled down at him as he ate her homemade ramen with a vehemence. His coal-black eyes caught her own lavender ones, and he grinned up at her, the soup broth all around his mouth. Thinking he was too cute for words, she bent down to kiss his lips. 

Suddenly, without warning, the two shinobi jumped to alert as an alarm sounded through the village. They looked at one another with a small grimace and stood up from the grass where they had sat. The hill the two were on was one that oversaw most of Konoha, so Sasuke could easily pick out a numerous amount of shinobi running around when he activated his Sharingan. Frowning, he looked at Hinata and saw she, too, had activated her Byakugan. Narrowing her eyes, she shook her head in annoyance. "I haven't developed my Byakugan enough yet. I can't see far enough."

"Yeah, I can't see too much either. All I can tell is that the village is really busy," Sasuke said softly, his red eyes narrowed. "Let's head back."

Hinata looked back at the picnic they had laid down on the grass before shaking her head and ignoring it. "Let's go then," she said as they disappeared from the hill.

Ten minutes later had them back in mainstream Konoha and looking around in confusion. One jounin passed them and Sasuke grabbed onto the man's green, flak vest. The man glared back at the Uchiha, barking, "What do you want, kid? I'm busy!"

"What's going on?" asked Sasuke, staring into the man's eyes with his own red ones. The man flinched slightly and shook his head. "That kid Naruto took the Scroll of Forbidden Jutsu. God knows what he plans to do with it!"

"The Scroll of Forbidden Jutsu?" Hinata said, completely aghast. Looking at Sasuke, she narrowed her eyes more and said, "We have to find him!"

Nodding and letting go of the other man's flak vest, Sasuke waited for Hinata to locate Naruto chakra signature. The heiress closed her eyes and concentrated deeply, only opening them upon finding Naruto's signature. She nodded curtly at Sasuke and then jumped onto another roof as she went towards their destination. The last Uchiha jumped right after her, staying close on her heels as they ran across the city, hopping from one roof to another. Then, just as quickly as she had started, Hinata stopped in the middle of a street with a frown on her face. Turning her head back and forth, she said, "I lost his trail. He was here, but now I can't sense him."

Sasuke turned his eyes toward his right and caught a flash of black running towards them. Jumping in front of Hinata, he clenched his hand into a fist and slammed it forward, hitting something solid in the meantime. The thing he hit yelled out in pain as it flew back and hit the ground some distance away. Hinata ran towards the object and looked down at it, frowning as she murmured, "What are you doing with that scroll, Naruto?"

Naruto rubbed his left cheek as he rose up from the ground, glaring at Sasuke all the while. "None of your business. Just leave me alone – I know what I'm doing."

"Wrong, idiot," said Sasuke, coming up and slamming another fist into the blond. "What are you doing stealing that scroll for? That's considered treason!"

"I have my reasons! Just leave me alone, I said!"

Naruto and Sasuke growled at each other, neither giving the other space. The blond bared his teeth, growling, "This isn't your problem, so just go away!"

Hinata slapped him across the face, much to his, and Sasuke's, disbelief. She glared at him, yelling, "What is _wrong_ with you! We're in this together, and we can't afford to let your damned _ego_ get in the way of that! If something's wrong, then we fix it_ together_! So, tell us what's going on!"

Naruto stared at her, not sure of what to say. Sasuke didn't help either as he continued to gape with disbelief. Hinata looked from one boy to another, her irritation growing. Turning to Naruto, she yelled, "_Now_!"

The Kyuubi vessel looked up into the sky, his blue eyes narrowed as he sensed around him. "Fine," he conceded, "but we've got to move as I explain. Follow me."

He jumped into the air and landed on a nearby rooftop. The other two landed behind him and as one, they moved forward from one rooftop to another, while Naruto explained,

"Our first time around, I originally didn't pass the genin exam. So, as I watched everyone gather with their parents while being so excited about passing, Mizuki came to me with a proposition. If I stole the scroll and managed to learn something from it, he'd pass me as a type of special examination kind of thing. I hadn't realized that he was just conning me and trying to get me evicted from the village. Luckily, Iruka-sensei had come along and fought with Mizuki. However, Iruka-sensei got hurt and I ended up getting pissed off and tromping Mizuki with my Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. I ended up passing due to my actions against a then-branded traitor."

Touching down on another rooftop, the three accelerated forward, Sasuke and Hinata with serious expressions on their faces as they listened. Naruto cleared his throat and his eyes saddened slightly. "This time around, I passed the genin exam with flying colors and didn't have to worry about doing all that crap. I thought that since I had passed, I wouldn't have to deal with Mizuki anymore and he'd give up trying to kill me and stuff. Unfortunately, this time he's just gone a step further. He stole Sakura from her home and is apparently keeping her hostage. I think he's ransoming Sakura's dad for the scroll, so Haruno-san pleaded with me to get what Mizuki wants, or Sakura would die. I know what this scroll is for, and I know that it can mark me as a traitor, but Sakura…"

Naruto's eyes flashed red before reverting back to their normal blue as he gritted his teeth. "I won't let her die!"

Hinata frowned softly, her Byakugan eyes reflecting sadness and firm determination. "We won't let her die, Naruto. Don't worry."

Naruto smiled at her softly before slamming into a firm object. Falling back, Naruto cried out when his black shirt was grabbed and he was lifted up into the air. His blue eyes met the angry gaze of Kakashi's one black eye. Naruto's eyes widened slightly, and Kakashi said, "Never pegged one of my students to become a traitor."

The jounin looked down and saw the two other genin looking up at him. "Sasuke, too. That's two of mine. Ah, and the young Hyuuga heiress. Won't Kurenai be happy."

Sasuke glared at the jounin, yelling, "As if you would understand! The circumstances require us to have this scroll!"

"Oh?" asked Kakashi, dropping Naruto and letting the boy hit the rooftop with a loud thump. "Then you mind telling me the circumstances? Before I have to take you to the Hokage as traitors, of course."

"Sakura-chan," Naruto muttered, rising from the tiles and catching Kakashi's attention. "Mizuki has Sakura…she's going to die. I have to get this to her…"

"And what were you planning to do after Mizuki got what he wanted? He'll just kill her anyway, and take the scroll as well."

Naruto clenched his small fists, not meeting the jounin's eyes. Sasuke and Hinata refused to turn their eyes away from Kakashi, each feeling adamant in their own ways. Sighing, the jounin grinned, though the other three wouldn't have known. "That's my team. Never abandon your comrade, ever."

Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata all stared at the jounin with surprise, and he cracked his knuckles. "So, where's Mizuki? No one hurts a member of my team."

The blond grinned, his sharp teeth apparent to all. Looking back at Sasuke and Hinata, he nodded and made to jump off the roof as he glanced at the jounin.

"This way."

* * *

Hakke Rokujyuuyon Sho – Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms 

First completion: 12/17/2007 1:42:34 PM


	3. Chapter 3

Here's the next chapter. I had a bit of trouble ending it, and most of you may notice that, but I didn't want to have it drag on and introduce too many new factors in a single chapter. I'm also in need of a beta, if anyone can spare the time. I'd really appreciate it. Please, enjoy the chapter.

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

Chapter Three

Darkened eyes opened slowly, clearly showing the leaf-green orbs filled with confusion. There were quite a few things racing through Sakura's mind, and above all of them, she found the biggest thing for her was how much her back itched. Not bothering to think about it, she tried to move her right hand to scratch the annoying spot, but found she couldn't move her limb at all. She could neither move that part of her body, nor any other part, and she found this quite disturbing. Of course, in addition to that part of her predicament, she was tied up, but that was the least of her worries. Sakura had been tied up in several of her missions…and some she preferred to keep private. It was the fact that she couldn't utilize even a small amount of chakra. Even trying left her with an unbelievable headache, which led her to an ever mounting temper. Why couldn't she move, damn it!

She moved her eyes around, silently taking in her surroundings. Apparently, she was tied to one of the large tree trunks in Konoha's forests, but approximately where, she wasn't certain. The forest was decidedly silent, which tipped her off about something being very, very wrong. Directly in front of her were two men – one being her father, and the other was…Mizuki-sensei. Now, what was his reason for standing in front of her and talking in hushed tones with her father? Neither of them had seemed to notice her wake up from her unconscious state, and she was going to make sure it stayed that way. Sakura narrowed her eyes slightly, trying to remember what had happened before. Last she could recall, she had just yelled at her father for his attitude towards her fiancée…well, no. Wait, what was he now? Boyfriend? Lover? The time trip seemed to complicate more than a few things for her mentality.

In any case, her memory was beginning to clear, and she vaguely remembered her mother rushing into her room and asking whether she was all right and whether the _thing _had hurt her. All right, the "thing" attachment on Naruto's being had started to become very annoying, and so Sakura voiced her opinion on the matter. Again. Just like before with her father, however, Sakura found herself being slapped and glared down at, though seconds later, the infuriated expression turned into one of shock and disbelief. In the end, Sakura had kicked her mother out of her room and screamed loudly in frustration. Is this how she had been originally before she had grown to like the blond? Screw her past self, then, because she had been an ungrateful brat and bitch.

So, hours after that event, Sakura had found herself sitting at the table with her parents, her fingers always twitching for her nonexistent kunai. Haruno Michiru had served dinner quietly, giving Sakura large spoonfuls of the soup. Now that she thought back on it, she could remember her parents exchanging glances as she slurped her soup, but hadn't thought anything of it at the time. Well, now, that had been her first major mistake. The second was when she tasted a particular ingredient, but couldn't place the taste with anything else. Now she realized it had been a specialized poison which had a side effect of neutralizing chakra of all things, as well as causing a tranquilizing effect. Well, color her pink and call her Ms. Happy, Sakura figured out her situation. After reviewing all the recent events, she was certain of her sustained poisoning, and now realized she couldn't escape from her situation. That was…utterly fantastic.

So it was after this enlightenment that she found herself extremely grateful when her item of affection came flying down into the scene. Following directly after him came three more people with which her elation continued to rise: Sasuke, Hinata, and Kakashi-sensei. Just seeing them made her feel as if everything would be all right in the end. Sakura was forced to squint her eyes as a gust of wind flew through the area suddenly, cutting through the ropes restraining her. Sakura felt her weight slip as she touched the ground with both feet, before she realized she couldn't hold up her weight on her own. Within seconds, Hinata was at her side and helping her up, Byakugan eyes expressing worry.

Hinata stared down at her friend, feeling they had made it just in time. Placing one of Sakura's arms around her shoulders, Hinata rose slowly to help Sakura adjust to standing again. Hearing Sakura's gasps of pain and exertion, she gritted her teeth and glared across the clearing towards the older Haruno and his friend, Mizuki. Then, she switched her gaze over to Naruto's, nodding slightly. She saw Naruto relax visibly, and couldn't stop the small smile that came to her lips.

Kakashi laid a hand on Naruto and Sasuke's head, frowning slightly at the speed with which the young Hyuuga had used to get to the falling Sakura. Pushing the small curiosity towards the back of his mind for later examination, the silver-haired man looked at Mizuki and Minoru. Keeping his voice calm and collected, Kakashi said, "Amazing how we could meet here. Mind telling me why you had one of my genin tied up and…poisoned, it seems like?"

"Hatake Kakashi," Mizuki said, a bit of surprise and anger in his voice. "So, the brat double-crossed us and went to get you. Just like a demon is expected to do!"

"Well, now I don't know about all of that, but," Kakashi said, rubbing the back of his neck, "he did tell me of some pretty interesting things. First most being you kidnapping my cute, little genin and tying her up to a tree as well as making him get the Scroll of Forbidden Jutsu as a type of ransom demand. Of course, he told me that Haruno-san there was just a byproduct of this entire affair, and was just trying to get his daughter back. Pretty unbelievable stuff, huh?"

Mizuki shifted his cold gaze over to Naruto, who met the man's glare with one of his own. Patting a hand on the top of the scroll, Naruto's eyes widened slightly before he let out a roar of primal rage, causing chakra to suddenly burst intermittently, flowing through the forest clearing. Kakashi tightened his grip on the boy's head, feeling much the same thing, though he knew how to keep it reigned in. Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest, narrowing his eyes that had begun flash from black to red, and back again. Mizuki raised his hands in slight surrender before a smirk made its way across his face as he jumped back and up into the trees. The man spun around, grabbing a large fuuma shuriken and throwing it down through the clearing and straight towards where Kakashi, Naruto, and Sasuke stood. Sasuke growled slightly, shifting forward quickly and jumping into the path of the fuuma shuriken. He took out his own kunai and after just barely allowing them to cling against the shuriken, made it veer in a different direction. Before falling to the ground, Sasuke quickly formed the necessary seals, shouting, "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"

From the Uchiha's mouth erupted burning flames which enlarged into a large fireball that flew straight towards the silver-haired chuunin. Gently placing Sakura down, Hinata also raced through a series of seals. Taking in a deep breath, she raised her hand to her mouth in a cone-like shape and yelled, "Katon: Karyuu Endan!"

Mizuki found himself completely surrounded by two blasts of fire, and took the only escape route he saw: the forest floor. At this point, he saw a flash of black before two Naruto's flew under him and kicked him back up towards the tree branch he was on. Two more Naruto's appeared, jumping off of the initial two and flying up to punch him higher in elevation. Mizuki screamed when he felt the pain of the flames as they began to lick at his skin and burn him. Kakashi merely raised his showing eyebrow, turning slightly upon the arrival of Umino Iruka. Iruka gasped when he saw the chaos that had erupted in the forest, and was none too surprised to see several ANBU appear behind him as well. Mizuki fell to the floor, his entire body more than singed from the firepower used against him. Kakashi held up a hand towards the ANBU behind him, and walked towards the fallen ninja. Mizuki was unconscious, but Kakashi felt it was in his power to kick the man's head slightly. Plus, it just made him feel good.

"Take him away," he said to the ANBU. "This man is to be branded a traitor, as he was the one to blackmailed Naruto into stealing the scroll. Mizuki has instigated this entire situation."

The ANBU moved towards the burnt man when someone began to shout, "Why are you doing this? Mizuki was trying to purge the village of that…_thing_!"

Everyone, including the now steadily-energizing Sakura, looked at the man who had burst out with such comments. Naruto frowned, eyebrows narrowing in confusion. "But, Haruno-san…he tried to hurt Sakura-chan… Why are you defending him?"

Haruno Minoru glared down at the demon, eyes furious because of Mizuki's failure. He walked towards the blond, and came up to within a foot of the boy. Training his green eyes on the blond's blue ones, Minoru stated, "He was simply trying to protect the village. He didn't kidnap my daughter, you foolish hell spawn, he simply used her as a part of his plan to purge the village of you. I am the one who put my daughter in her current position, but it was for good cause! She would have been known as one of the saviors of the village, but you just had to ruin everything. Typical."

Naruto continued to stare at him in confusion, and looked over to where Sakura was standing. He saw her face of shock, and found his confusion continuing to rise. Clutching the large scroll to his torso, Naruto looked back up at the man, softly pleading, "But, you wouldn't do that kind of thing to your daughter, right…? It was just a mistake…right?"

The boy looked over at the newly arrived Sandaime, and his fatherly figure, Iruka. Shaking his head, Naruto yelled, "You couldn't do such a thing to your daughter! What kind of father would you be?"

"Don't lecture me, you damned Kyuubi brat!" shouted Minoru in return, earning the collective gasp of all present. Naruto felt ice race through his veins, even as he saw several ANBU appear next to the man with their katanas unsheathed. His fingers twitching, Naruto whispered, "No…"

Sasuke and Hinata had both looked up in surprise upon hearing the older Haruno's words, and felt angered over the recent turn of events. Minoru appeared unfazed, even as one katana bore ever closer towards his neck. He felt it needed to be said, since he had already broken the Sandaime's law anyway. "Did you hear me, Kyuubi brat?" Minoru asked, eyes cold and unyielding. "Did you know? Twelve years ago, there was a large beast named the Kyuubi that attacked our village. People are supposed to think it died all that time ago, but it survived, and guess where it is?"

Naruto let go of the scroll, clutching his hands to his ears. "_No_!" he yelled, eyes wide as his body trembled. It didn't really matter so much to him that he had to hear it again – he saw the damned beast everyday after all. He also knew that Sakura had already heard of the demon, and Sasuke had met the beast on his own during one of their earlier encounters. Naruto had even given Sasuke permission to tell Hinata as well, but…

"Don't say anymore!" Naruto yelled, tears beginning to collect in his eyes. "If you do, you'll be executed… If that happens, Sakura-chan won't see her father again! Don't you care?"

Sakura felt shock race through her body, and a pressure begin to build behind her eyes. Her mouth trembled slightly, and she let go of Hinata as she stood on her own. Her eyes watering, she walked across the open space, saying, "Naruto, don't worry about something like that…"

"I have to!" Naruto shouted, turning around with tears flowing down his cheeks. "Family is family, is family! He's your father! If he goes, what will you have? No, I don't care what he's done to me…but…he's family. He's…your family. You…shouldn't have to be without a father. I don't want you to have to go through that pain…"

Sakura stared at the crying blond, her own tears falling without restraint. "Naruto…"

Naruto grabbed his head again, the tears falling even faster. "I…don't want anyone to lose anyone anymore! Ever again!"

He felt himself begin to hyperventilate, but before Sakura could do anything, Kakashi had appeared behind Naruto. The blond felt the presence and turned around to see Kakashi right before a pain struck the back of his neck. His eyes widened slightly before closing. Within seconds, Naruto saw only darkness.

* * *

Sasuke watched Sakura as she paced from one end of the hospital room to another, his eye twitching with each footfall. On the other side of the room, Hinata also forced herself to react to the pink-haired kunoichi's constant pacing. It also slightly irked her that she couldn't be near Sasuke, since they shouldn't have really been involved with one another, having been born of separate clans. She didn't even have to glance at her motherly role model Kurenai to know the woman was impatient with having no idea of what was going on. Perhaps Hinata could just tell from having been around the genjutsu specialist for so long, but she knew Kurenai was simply counting down to keep her patience reigned in. Turning her lavender eyes back to the pacing Sakura, Hinata coughed slightly. The three other conscious occupants looked at her with surprise and Sakura stopped her pacing. Looking up at Kurenai, she turned her eyes away submissively, softly saying, "S-sorry…"

Sakura stared at her, nodded so slightly Hinata almost missed it, and went to go sit next to Naruto's bedside once again. Yuuhi Kurenai let a frown cross her features, but thought no more of the Hyuuga's actions. Her red eyes scanned over the room, and eventually landed on the blond boy laying in the bed, unconscious. Somehow, due to the boy, she had been pulled out of her team's training session and called to wait in the hospital room as everyone waited for Naruto to wake up. She didn't hate the boy, she decided, but he did cause an undue amount of stress on those he was around. She also knew that Naruto hardly deserved all the horrible treatment he had been given…not that she had really helped his situation at all. Thinking back on her actions in concerns to the boy, she realized that while she had never shared a malice for the boy, she had never given him reason to be happy either. Annoyed with herself, she pinched the bridge of her nose.

Then, there was Hinata's crush on the boy…though when she had approached the girl about it after their genin test, Hinata hadn't spoke with the vehemence she used to. With every word Hinata had said, Kurenai felt the words were being forced, which made her wonder just what had changed in the heiress. Now that she had started thinking about the girl, she realized many things had changed, and not just the girl's attitude on the blond. While she had only been under Kurenai's care for perhaps a day, Kurenai saw many things that perhaps she shouldn't have seen…or heard – things such as Hinata cursing softly when the genins' plan to attack her during their test had failed. Another thing was when Hinata had balanced on the side of a tree trunk for longer than thirty seconds before jumping off and flying across the field with perfect grace.

The last thing was what concerned Kurenai the most: when she had reached to punch the girl, Hinata had activated her bloodline without hand seals and had quickly evaded the blow. What astounded Kurenai the most in concern to that action had not been the Byakugan part, but how easily Hinata had turned her evasion into a ploy for the genjutsu mistress to fall in. The Byakugan wielder had spun around quickly and vanished from Kurenai's sight before appearing behind the woman and delivering a quick blow to Kurenai's back. Shifting suddenly, Kurenai could remember the pain she'd received from the attack; even if Hinata had purposely attacked without killer intent and chakra, the attack still hurt…a lot. Spitefully, Kurenai had knocked the girl far away with a kick to the stomach, though it didn't make her feel any better overall.

One more thought plagued Kurenai's mind, and this time, it concerned all four genin present in the room. Since when had the four become so close to one another? She'd heard from some chuunin and jounin about how the four would be crowded together before school hours, talking in hushed tones with one another. She also heard that Hinata had displayed signs of irritation, that Sasuke had been laughing, that Sakura had not been clinging to the Uchiha and instead clung to the Uzumaki, and that Naruto had been displaying an expression of utter seriousness. She had wanted to just write it off immediately and not think anymore of the matter, but something told her not to do so just yet. But, what if those people had only been trying to mess with her mind? Ah, she couldn't figure it out!

Hinata looked at her teacher with some concern, unsure of what to do when she felt the woman's chakra had begun to rise before falling, and repeating the same procedure again. She decided the best thing to do was move away from the woman and go sit with her friends. Sasuke let loose a small grin before covering it up with a face of indifference. Hinata sat down next to the raven-haired boy with a soft smile and then looked at the blond who had still not awoken. Sakura rose up from the other side of Naruto and went to sit beside Hinata, smiling at the pale-eyes girl.

"Hey, Hinata," she whispered softly, leaf-green eyes warm. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine," Hinata whispered back, "but what about you?"

"It wasn't a long-lasting poison, and my body neutralized it naturally," Sakura said, her smile still on her face. "I'll just have to make sure to find a way to eject poisons from my body before they take toll."

Sasuke and Hinata looked at one another before glaring at the pink-haired girl. Sakura stared at them with surprise, and a frown replaced her smile slowly. "What…?"

The Uchiha rubbed his forehead in annoyance before stating, "We weren't talking about the poison. We know how proficient you are in that area. We were referring to your mental state concerning your father."

"Oh…well, that's…"

Sakura turned her gaze away from the other two and set it on the unconscious individual in the bed. "That," she continued hesitantly as she closed her eyes, "doesn't matter right now. I don't care that he did that to me. Hell, I don't even care that he worked with that bastard Mizuki – not as much anyway. What infuriates me the most is that he coerced Naruto into stealing that scroll and making him think my life was on the line! And, he used the pretense of being a family member that couldn't save his daughter because of another party. That…using that kind of thing against someone like Naruto, who doesn't have a family… That pisses me off more than anything!"

She stopped her ranting when the now composed Kurenai came walking across the room. The woman sat on the other side of the bed where Sakura had originally been. Not knowing what to say with the teacher is such close proximity, the three were silent and all four stared over at the blond. Sakura narrowed her eyes slightly. He had only been hit lightly – that shouldn't have been near enough to knock him close to a comatose state. She felt, rather than saw, Hinata shift slightly and turned her gaze to the Hyuuga. Hinata frowned as she watched Naruto's fingers twitch slightly, and wondered what was going on when the blond jumped up suddenly, screaming.

All four in the room jumped back from their chairs, having been caught off guard by the screams. Naruto rose from the bed where he had laid and jumped across the room, hands reaching for a kunai that didn't exist. Kurenai gestured for the three genin to stay still as she walked across the room towards the confused and delirious blond. She reached a hand out towards the blond and he glanced at it, nose twitching. Frowning, Kurenai stared into his eyes and saw a flicker of red before it went back to blue, and then back again. Gasping slightly, she turned around quickly when the door slid open to reveal several nurses and medic-nins coming in to investigate. This turned out to be a mistake on her part, for as soon as she turned away, Naruto screamed again and bit down on her hand. Turning her eyes back onto the blond, Kurenai gasped out in pain and forced Naruto to the ground.

As soon as he had been slammed to the ground, Naruto had tried to get up again, but felt a heavy pressure weighing him down. Struggling hard against his new invisible binds, he glared up at the genjutsu mistress who was racing through seals before stopping on one and saying, "Magen: Ori no Kyomu!"

She sighed when the boy visibly calmed, and looked at her hand. While his teeth hadn't cut through the skin, it still hurt quite a bit. The medic-nins present took her by the arms and led her outside the room for analysis. The nurses stared down at the now calm Naruto with apprehension, and Sakura felt irritation hit her hard. "Leave!" she said, walking towards the nurses. "You're no use to him if all you're going to do is stare. So just leave!"

The nurses glared at her, and Sakura glared icily back. Minutes passed as the tension between the women grew and then the nurses finally broke the contact. They bowed and went to the door, though not without one last glance at the unmoving blond. As soon as the nurses had left, Naruto jumped up and wiped himself off with an indifferent expression. Sakura frowned at him and Naruto looked at her with dull eyes. The two stared at one another before Sakura felt her anger take a hold and she slammed a fist into Naruto's face. "You idiot! What was with those theatrics!"

"I just finished talking to the Kyuubi," said Naruto softly, running a hand though his hair. "It didn't go as well as I would have liked, and he sent me some of his chakra with the purpose of trying to take over me."

"I thought he got over his hatred with you and was indifferent now," said Sasuke in as soft a tone as he walked up to the two with Hinata. Naruto frowned, rubbing his face gently. "That Kyuubi is gone, and now I'm stuck with the one I'd had originally, before he changed his opinion of me. I didn't know that, and walked up to him while yelling my head off about him depriving me of his chakra for no reason. He, eh, decided to give me what I wanted. As for the theatrics…"

Naruto looked at the ceiling, and shrugged. "I felt the need to get away, and when Kurenai came near, I wanted to bite her. I'm not sure why. She hit me with that genjutsu, and I'm grateful, but it felt good biting her."

Sasuke stared at him with disgust. "That sounds wrong in so many way."

Sakura glared at Naruto, saying, "All right, so he came out a bit and you had to force him back in. You just happened to take it out on Kurenai, who was there. Lucky her."

"Yep, yep. Actually, he wanted to kill her, and kept telling me to do so. I didn't even want to bite her. I'd rather bite someone else," he said, leering at Sakura, who ignored him. A fist came flying again at his face and he rubbed his nose as he whined. Sakura sighed, saying, "Well, now we know what happened. As nice as that is, now we have even _more_ problems. Couldn't you have bit someone else? Like…Sasuke?"

"Hey!"

Naruto laughed, his eyes lighting up. "Hell no, 'cause then Hinata would get on my case. And she can screw with my chakra and my organs. Nah, think I'll stay away from pretty boy."

Sakura grinned at Naruto, saying, "So, what now? What are we going to say when she comes back, and when we're with Kakashi-sensei and the Sandaime?"

"We have some bullshitting to do," said Sasuke, his face contemplative. "Things would have been so much easier if Mizuki hadn't existed."

"Or if I hadn't been poisoned," muttered Sakura. "Tsunade-shishou would have beat me black and blue if she'd found out that I'd been taken down so easily. Then she would have forced the damn poison down my throat until my body formed a natural immunity to it. Then she would have beat me down again."

Sasuke pointed his finger at her, laughing. "That's great! My master wouldn't touch me. Guess he knew I could kill him!"

"How _did_ you kill Orochimaru anyway?" inquired Naruto, eyebrows raised. "What'd you do?"

The last Uchiha grinned evilly at the blond, chuckling. "He tried to take over my body and I wiped him away, like one would with a juice puddle on a counter. My brain didn't need his foul crap in it."

Hinata chuckled slightly and they all turned around when the hospital room door slid open and Kurenai came back in. Naruto stared back at her and bowed his head, silently apologizing for his earlier actions. The older woman graced him with a small smile and Naruto grinned. Hinata noticed Kurenai's hand and she said, "Kurenai-sensei?"

Kurenai glanced at her student before looking at her own hand with a frown. It was completely covered with white tape, and wrapped around so much it looked like she a had a white appendage coming out of her wrist. "They wouldn't believe me when I said it was fine, and decided to wrap it up completely with sterile bandages. They also gave me a few shots to ward against rabies, and miscellaneous other diseases."

Hinata stared at her, completely horrified, while Naruto just rubbed his pinky in his ear. He stopped however, when Kurenai said, "But, I'm glad that you got Kyuubi under control however, Naruto. Congratulations. At least I wasn't bitten too hard – for that, I am grateful."

The four stared at Kurenai with fear and apprehension, and she smiled slightly while making a few hand seals. The four felt chakra flow over them, and watched as the door was lined with chakra, barring any other person's entry. Before they knew it, the room around them disappeared and was replaced with a grassy field, and a slight wind. "Now," Kurenai said, frowning down at the genin. "I knew something was going on with you four, and now I have some proof. So, we're going to sit down and talk about it. All right?"

Naruto stared at her, completely aghast. Their secret was already known? Well, what the hell!

Kurenai glared at him with her red eyes, and he sat down in the "grass," unsure of what else to do. The other three genin sat down as well, each shifting uncomfortably. Sasuke was frowning and staring at the ground, while Hinata couldn't even bring her gaze up due to guilt. Sakura figured there could be a way to throw Kurenai off their trail when the red-eyed beauty said, "So, you two have been students under two of the famous sannin. Quite an amazing feat, considering you're _twelve_."

Sasuke and Sakura froze completely, and so Kurenai continued with, "And since they've been away from the village for the past…oh, ten or so years, I'm surprised you guys have met them. Or know of their tendencies. Amazing feat once again, since you're _twelve_. But then again, I'm sure many things could happen in _twelve_ years, but I don't think Orochimaru's dead yet. So forgive me if I can't understand what you four are going on about."

Naruto grinned shakily, saying, "Well, yeah…amazing huh? Aren't we awesome?"

Kurenai smiled at the blond, tilting her head slightly. "Well, yes, you guys are pretty amazing. I'm also curious what you meant by having a different Kyuubi than originally, Naruto."

The blond froze as well, and Kurenai shifted her gaze to the apprehensive Hinata. "And as for you, I've been wondering about some things for a while. How did you progress your Byakugan so much, Hinata? And when did you learn tree walking, and to use such strategic evasion tactics as you did during our little test? Also, since when have you and Sasuke been together, like Naruto suggested? I thought you were smitten on the blond, really."

Hinata felt her heart quicken as her face paled, and she turned away quickly. Kurenai frowned at her student and turned to level her gaze on the others. "We've some talking to do, and I guarantee to you that we will. But for now, we don't have any more time to devote to being together on our own anymore. Please ready yourself for the Hokage," she said as the genjutsu disappeared and the chakra lining the door vanished. The four stared up at her, each with wide eyes, and she sighed, softly whispering, "I will tell him nothing of this, if you four will entrust me with your secret at a later date."

Kurenai bowed deeply when the door opened and the elderly man with the title of Hokage came inside. Each feeling slightly ill, the four genin bowed deeply as well, before all five rose as one. Flanked by two ANBU, the Hokage nodded at Kurenai and smiled gently at the four genin, who all managed a small smile in return. Gesturing for the five shinobi to stand down from attention, the Hokage took a few puffs from his pipe, and white smoke flew from his mouth as he sighed. He moved to sit on one of the available chairs and looked at his loyal ninja, saying,

"You have all been called due to the happenings of last night. As you well know, last night, Naruto took possession of the Scroll of Forbidden Jutsu. For what reasons, I am not certain, though I'm hoping to be able to find out those details during this session."

Kurenai glanced down and saw Naruto's grim and slightly guilty face, and said, "Hokage-sama, as I understand it, this solely concerns the people directly associated with last night's incident. However, I must ask you what my being here helps to prove."

"Ah, yes, of course, Kurenai," said the old man gently, "as soon as Kakashi happens to arrive, I will inform you of where you stand in all of this."

"Could be a while," muttered one of the attendants of the room, though Kurenai was unsure as to who it was, exactly. She forced down a sigh that tried to arise and softly asked, "As I'm certain Kakashi is aware of what took place last night, would it be too much trouble to fill me in as well?"

Readying a reply for the woman, Sandaime Sarutobi stopped when a bit of wind accelerated around the area and the silver-haired jounin appeared, hands in his pockets. His showing eye widened a bit upon seeing Kurenai, but he shrugged it off quickly and bowed to the Sandaime, taking his hands out of his pockets in the process. "Hokage-sama," Kakashi said in a formal tone, "I've arrived. If you could start the debriefing…?"

"Suppose I could call it that, yes," said Sarutobi, a shadow of a smile on his face. "Kurenai," he called, causing the aforementioned woman to quickly stand at attention, "I will now tell you what this incident has to do with you. It wasn't just Kakashi's team that was discovered at the scene, but also your student, Hyuuga Hinata. As such, this concerns you just as much."

_I figured as much_, thought the woman, nodding slightly. "Understood, Hokage-sama. Then please, continue."

"Last night, a messenger came to me foretelling of a horrible thing that had happened at the storage section of the tower. Upon arrival to this area, I was alarmed to find my men unconscious in front of the main storage area in the Hokage Tower. Upon discovery, I found seals broken on the wide-open doors, and chaos in the inner sanctum. Many different scrolls were left in an anarchic state, and the ANBU safeguarding the most powerful one were left in pathetic positions. Somehow, they had been knocked unconscious due to some unknown jutsu, though I dare not try to figure out what."

At this point, the older man slid his gaze over to the young blond, who pointedly ignored him. Frowning softly, Sarutobi sighed and continued with, "I found the scroll stolen, and immediately called upon able bodies to search and find for the suspect. By this point, my men had awoken from their unconscious states and informed me of the instigator. Surprised as I was before, this further developed my shocked feelings. Though I was happy a foreigner had not taken the scroll by some off chance, I was quite saddened to discover that one of my own genin had taken the initiative to do such a horrible thing."

With each word, Naruto felt more and more guilt fall on his shoulders, and he was soon having trouble standing up straight. Sakura passed him a worried gaze, but Naruto ignored as the old man continued by saying,

"I launched my force of chuunins and jounins in hopes of finding this genin, yet he appeared to have evaded each one, save for his jounin instructor. Shortly after Kakashi found Naruto and they went to do battle with Mizuki, I arrived at the scene. It was at this time with which the law I made was unabashedly broken, and Naruto was made aware of the prisoner he confined within himself. From that point on, Haruno Minoru was considered a traitor to the village…but alas, that is the reason I have called all of you here today. Though he has broken such a rule, he is guaranteed a trial by law. Because of this, I'm asking the victim, Naruto, to be present at the time of the trial."

Despite herself, Sakura found tears running down her cheeks, but she knew her father had been guilty in his crime. She was ashamed to have called him her father, and to have unknowingly followed in his footsteps the first time around. Feeling hands lightly touch her shoulders, she smiled softly and turned to hug who she thought to be the blond bundle of energy, but hesitated upon seeing Hinata's warm eyes. Understanding the rosette's trail of thought, Hinata hugged Sakura close, and the latter was forced to close her eyes so more tears wouldn't fall. Clinging to the warmth she felt coming from the dark-blue-haired girl, Sakura buried her head in Hinata's shoulder and stayed there, her shoulders trembling.

Hinata took in a deep breath, and turned her gaze to the blond boy who seemed to be wilting with the news the Sandaime had brought. His normally bright and happy, cornflower-blue eyes were dull with pain and sadness, and his entire frame seemed to be drooping down. She saw Sasuke walk over to the blond and try to say something to him, but Naruto pushed Sasuke away, his eyes sparking with anger in addition to the earlier pain and sadness. Seeing her – what was he now? Boyfriend? Lover? Still a fiancée? – confidante take a stubborn stance, Hinata knew the Uchiha was now trying to quietly persuade the blond into taking the best turn of action, but Naruto was having none of that. Naruto glared at the raven-haired boy and whispered something harshly that only the latter could hear, and stalked off toward the Hokage.

The Hyuuga heiress noticed Sasuke's shoulders tighten slightly, and felt herself tense as well. That absolutely did not bode well for their situation. Feeling more weight fall onto her, Hinata looked at the rosette, surprised. Sakura had fallen asleep as soon as her energy had left her, and now Hinata was the one fully supporting the girl. Grunting slightly, Hinata shifted back slowly towards her teacher, who finally took notice of the heiress's trouble. Assisting Hinata, Kurenai picked up the sleeping girl and laid her down on one of the hospital beds in the room. As soon as her burden had been lifted away, Hinata walked up to Sasuke and looked at him, frowning. His coal-black eyes shifted toward her flittingly before moving back away. _No_, Hinata thought, looking at the blond who was talking hurriedly with the Sandaime. _Things do not bode well at all._

Across the room, Naruto forced his words out quickly, not pausing. Old man Sarutobi looked down at the vessel, surprise clearly present across his face. Though he appeared to want to argue with the blond, Naruto objected vehemently, eyes narrowed and hands flying as he explained his reasons more. The ANBU present behind the Hokage widened their eyes behind their masks, surprised at the boy's desires. Inserting the tip of his pipe into his mouth, Sarutobi inhaled the contents, sighing softly afterwards.

"You do know what this means, don't you, Naruto?"

"I know," Naruto said, frowning as he looked at the floor. "But, I don't care. That's what I want, and I would never have it any other way."

"What if she does not desire it?"

"She… I don't know, sir," said the vessel dejectedly. "However, this is my decision. I cannot let her influence me in any way."

"Very well, very well," the Hokage responded, looking over at the now reading Kakashi. "This meeting is adjourned, and while I do question why the Hyuuga was present, and what will happen to the mental structure of your team, I expect Team Seven present in the Assignment Room first thing in the morning."

Kakashi put away his reading material and bowed. "As you have commanded, Hokage-sama."

The silver-haired man watched as the Sandaime and the two ANBU walked out of the hospital room, and sighed to himself. Looking down at the sullen blond and then over at the tensed Uchiha and sleeping Haruno, Kakashi found himself being too old for such drama. Clearing his throat and capturing the attention of both the students and Kurenai, he said, "All right then – I'm off. I'm sure you'll see to it that Sakura is informed of our meeting in the Assignment Room at 0800 hours. Don't let yourself be so foolish as to think I'll allow you to slack off because of what happened last night, either. So, see you."

Kurenai glared at the space where Kakashi had been, finding the man to have been unsupportive of his team, as well as overly callous. Turning to the children, she cleared her throat, but only gained Hinata's attention. Naruto glared at the floor, muttering, "I need to go do some errands," as he left via the window. Sasuke stuck his hands in his pockets and left through the door, saying nothing in the end. Hinata looked up at her with a small frown, and Kurenai sighed, feeling her authority meant nothing in that specific instance. Hinata offered her a tentative smile as she said, "I'll watch over Sakura, Kurenai-sensei. I think she'll need a friend beside her once she wakes up."

"All right, Hinata. Don't forget, we also need to show up to the Assignment Room for our mission as well."

"Understood," said the girl with another smile. Kurenai felt her tension ease a bit, but a thought immediately presented itself within her mind. "Remember," the woman said softly, "I want that truth soon."

Though the Hyuuga paled slightly, she still nodded. Kurenai gave her a warm smile and looked out the window, her red eyes narrowed. "I'll see you tomorrow, Hinata," Kurenai said distractedly, walking towards the open window. Looking out, she frowned as she realized she couldn't detect the whiskered menace, and narrowed her eyes more. Hopping up onto the window sill, the genjutsu specialist jumped out into the air, focusing her senses as she went through hand seals. Locating a small power surge heading toward the east portion of the city, Kurenai let a small grin slip across her face.

_Found him._

Hinata watched her teacher move out from the window and disappear and sighed. She glanced at the, to her great surprise, now fully awakened rosette laying on the bed, and blinked a few times. "Sakura-chan?"

Sakura sat up from the bed, and ran a hand through her hair, pulling off her hitai-ate in the process. Looking down at the glinting metal bearing the Konohagakure's symbol, her face contorted into an expression of wistfulness. "You know," she said, gaining the Hyuuga's attention again, "when I first got this hitai-ate, I felt that I was a woman."

She paused as Hinata climbed onto the bed next to her, and smiled softly at her longtime friend. "I felt that I was an accomplished adult who could finally impact the world in my own way. I thought I knew everything, and thought that with the right amount of confidence, I could get everything. But, you know, I knew nothing. I was nothing but a self-centered, little brat who had a large amount of intelligence, but couldn't apply it to anything. I thought things had changed, but…apparently, I'm still a little kid."

She didn't want to go into too many details after Kurenai found out they were hiding such a huge secret, but Sakura hoped Hinata could still catch her meaning despite that. She wasn't let down when Hinata's eyes flashed quickly, and the Hyuuga said, "Perhaps not so much anymore, Sakura-chan. Realizing where you're at fault is half the difficulty of finding your place in the world. So, to think of it in another way, you are halfway to adulthood. Being able to look into your past, whether it be a day or a few years, and understand you carried a lot of flaws is a part of growing up."

Grinning slightly, Sakura said, "How do you know so much, Hinata-chan?"

Hinata pushed back her shoulders and lifted her chin up in pride. "Well, I'm a Hyuuga after all. What did you expect?"

Sakura laughed at those words, saying, "You're a dork, that's what you are. The biggest one since the Konoha Nine began."

"Just don't tell my father," came the sardonic remark.

The two girls burst out into laughter, and Sakura felt better than she had in years.

* * *

Naruto fell down on a tree branch, a frown crossing his face as he felt a presence appear in the tree behind him. His eyes shifted towards his left, and he slid his hands into his pockets. When the figure hit the tree branch directly behind him, Naruto said, "While I'm sure you have your reasons, I would rather be alone right now, Kurenai-sensei."

The genjutsu mistress chuckled a bit, and leaned against the large tree trunk of the branch she was standing on. Focusing her red eyes on the blond's back, she said, "That was a crazy thing you did, Naruto."

"I don't know what you mean," he said evasively, jumping off the branch and landing on the forest floor. Kurenai jumped down after him, and placed her hands on her hips as she continued with, "You're either a very foolish, or a very brave, young man, and I'm not so sure I would have been able to do such a thing, had I been in your shoes."

"It's what she deserves."

"And what about you?"

Naruto stiffened a bit, and to her surprise, a smirk came across his face. "Well, she'll probably be okay with it in the end, and I won't have to deal with the man any longer. So, it's a fair trade all around. Freedom for happiness. It works, I think."

Kurenai sighed a bit, but realized she wouldn't be able to squeeze anything more out of the boy. "All right then, if you insist."

Turning around, Naruto looked up at her with a serious expression. "I realize we promised to tell you that secret, but give us some time. After some missions and such, we'll tell you, and trust me, you won't want to believe all of what you hear. But only after you hear our secret will my demand make sense to you."

"Oh?" she questioned, tilting her head to the side. "And what demand would that be?"

"Teach me genjutsu."

* * *

Soon, days turned into weeks as Team Seven got back into the habit of things. In fact, the team had just completed their "Find Tora" mission, and Naruto was once again reminded of how much he hated that damnable cat. He glared at the struggling cat in his arms as the team walked to the Assignment Room, and said, "You know, I wonder if Cat Ramen tastes good. I've heard they eat cats in some countries. You know, I've even heard of this mythical country called China where they eat cats."

"Tease the cat anymore, and he may decide to use something else as a scratching post," said Sasuke in a bored tone as he walked alongside the blond. "And that something probably won't grow back. Even for you."

Sakura offered no comments from where she walked beside Kakashi, though she glanced at Naruto every so often. The latter struggled to keep the furious cat in his arms as he walked, his blue eyes narrowing in annoyance. He slammed his fist down onto the cat's head, which only led to it reaching up and scratching his face multiple times. Sasuke chuckled softly, and Naruto glared at him. "You think this is funny?" he asked as they walked into the Assignment Room.

"I think it's pretty hilarious, idiot," said Sasuke with a smirk. "Tora clearly adores you."

"Clearly…"

As soon as they walked in, the Feudal Lord's wife, Madame Shijimi, grabbed the cat out of Naruto's arms and began to squeeze it to death. Naruto glared at the cat with a demonic grin on his face. "And again," he whispered to Sasuke, "I think the cat damn well deserves what he gets. At any rate, I'm glad the mission's over."

"Now then," said the Sandaime, catching Team Seven's attention. "Your next mission is…"

"Going to be something better than whatever crap you had planned for us originally!" shouted Naruto, frowning deeply. "I'm not doing those menial chores anymore! That's child's play, and we aren't here to play kiddy games!"

Iruka stood up, about to call Naruto out on his words, but Naruto turned his glare to the chuunin. "I realize we are still novices, but I don't give a shit! Experience can't be gained by such little activities like the ones we've been doing! Team Ten's an assassination type team and Team Eight's a reconnaissance type team, but we're a combat type team! Hokage-sama, Iruka-sensei, we can't just keep doing this little chores and pretending that we're becoming more advanced."

Sasuke chuckled. _At least he said it better this time around._

Sakura felt a small smile come across her lips, but she couldn't do any more than that. Kakashi found himself being slightly impressed with Naruto's explanation, but also found himself growing increasingly annoyed with the blond as well. "Idiot," he said, slamming his fist down into the boy's head. "What makes you think you have the right to demand such a thing from the Hokage?"

Sakura frowned softly at Naruto, whose expression looked to have developed a new meaning for annoyance. Hesitating a bit, she said softly, "Hokage-sama, with all due respect, I must agree with Naruto."

Sasuke looked at her, an eyebrow raised. _Well, this is new._

Continuing on, the rosette said, "Though we are indeed new at the shinobi business, we are not at all new to the knowledge of how ninja missions are coordinated with the shinobi of a village. I, too, feel we won't gain any further experience doing D-Rank missions, and feel a C-Rank mission would be to our best advantage. We can gain more combat-style experience, and prove our worth. So, I ask that you allow us this one chance to complete a more credible mission."

The Uchiha scowled slightly, feeling as if he weren't contributing to his teams desires, which, of course, he wasn't. Rolling his left shoulder a bit, Sasuke said clearly, "If we succeed, then obviously we have what it takes to complete such a mission. If we fail, then you can keep assigning us D-Rank mission, and we'll take them without any whining on any one person's part. Even the blond idiot over there."

Naruto glared at him, and Sasuke smirked back. Sarutobi rubbed his short, white beard in contemplation. Even including Naruto's fierce case, Team Seven presented him with credible details as to why they were fit for an mission befitting those with higher experience backgrounds. Seeing no reason to refute their case, he glanced first at the jounin to his right, before glancing at Iruka to his left, who nodded slightly. Setting down the D-Rank scroll gently, the Sandaime gingerly picked up the C-Rank scroll and glanced at it, frowning.

"Very well," he said thoughtfully, glancing up at the team. Kakashi's eye widened slightly – he couldn't believe his unit would be participating in a C-Rank mission with so little experience. Had the Sandaime really bought their story? What was he thinking? Kakashi bowed his head slightly, staying silent though his thoughts were running wildly.

"I have a mission available for your team, Kakashi. You will be escorting a certain person," the older man said, his face not revealing any emotions. Kakashi sighed softly, feeling a bit better. If it were an escort mission, there wouldn't be too much trouble for his team to get into. Naruto gave the Hokage a calculating glance, unsure of how he should act. Deciding to be an idiot like he used to be, he exclaimed, "What, really? Who are we escorting? They must be pretty big! Maybe a princess, or a feudal lord? Come on, tell us already!"

The Sandaime let loose a few chuckles, glad to see Naruto feeling in better spirits already. "Don't be too hasty, Naruto. I'll introduce him to you now," he said, waving a hand towards the door. In a louder voice, he continued: "You may enter the room now."

All three genins' eyebrows twitched in annoyance, but they turned to look at the door anyway. Naruto felt his mood plummet even more when the door was pushed open, and they were left staring at an old, slightly muscular, man. _Tazuna_, Naruto thought to himself, his frown threatening to turn into a scowl. _The bridge builder. If he threatens to call me a short brat again, I'm going to really punch his lights out this time around. I don't care how buddy-buddy we become later on._

Tazuna looked into the room, and his eyes narrowed slightly as he saw the ninja who were meant to accompany him. "What?" he said loudly. "They're all kids!"

Taking a gulp from his sake bottle, he frowned at the blond shrimp in the middle, saying, "Hey…"

Naruto gritted his teeth and leveled his gaze upon the bridge builder. "If you call me a 'small kid with an idiotic face,' then I will make sure to kick your ass. Doesn't matter whether you're our client or not – show some respect!"

Kakashi slammed his fist into the blond's head again, more than slightly annoyed. "The same can be said for you," he murmured softly. Then, in a lower tone, he muttered, "Man, but you're hard to deal with today."

Naruto glared at the bridge builder, his blue eyes bright with anger. Sasuke nudged him slightly, frowning at the blond. Leaning down close to the blond's right ear, he whispered, "What's your deal today? You've been pretty irrational for a while. Anything to do with Sakura?"

"None of your business," Naruto growled, waving the raven-haired boy away. Sasuke sighed softly and began to glare at their client. "And? Your name and profession. And reason for escort."

Tazuna was slightly miffed at the blond's antics, but decided to just ignore it. "I'm the bridge building expert Tazuna. Once back in my country, you ninja will protect me with your lives while I complete my bridge."

"Fantastic," sneered Sasuke. "We'll get back to you tomorrow, when we leave. Let's go, Naruto, Sakura."

Kakashi stared at his retreating students in disgust, unsure of what the brought on the change in attitude. He had a feeling it laid with Naruto, due to the emotional toll of being told what he was, but that had been weeks ago! He was _still_ upset at being told he held the Kyuubi? Maybe Kakashi shouldn't have passed the three kids after all.

Turning to Tazuna, he bowed somewhat, softly saying, "I apologize for my students. We had a cataclysmic event take place not too long ago, and it seems they're still a bit under the weather. Many apologies, Tazuna-san."

The old man shrugged as he drank down more of his sake. "They work well with one another, or at least the two boys do. If they can work together to keep me safe, then let them be nasty, little brats. My life is on the line, and you better make sure nothing happens to me. Now," he continued, raising his voice slightly, "where can I get some rest for tonight? It was a long way here, and this old man needs his beauty sleep!"

Kakashi bowed again, and turned to guide him toward the table where the Hokage was situated.

* * *

"Ah, that just, pisses, me, off! Damn, I couldn't stand that guy the first time we met him!" yelled Naruto from his place on top of the Hokage Monument. He began to pace to and fro in front of a frustrated Sasuke and uncertain Sakura. Grimacing slightly, Sakura looked away from the raging blond, which he noticed offhand, though made no mention to. Sasuke sighed and shook his head, saying, "What's with you anyway? I don't understand your problem."

Naruto stopped pacing and directed a very pointed look at Sakura before looking back at Sasuke quickly. Cocking one eyebrow up in surprise, Sasuke shook his again, but said nothing further on the matter. "Oh," he said, looking up at the sky due to his sudden revelation. "Hinata said that Kurenai is starting to become a 'bit' impatient. We should probably make due to our promise, unless we've got some way to get out of this."

Looking down at Sakura who paid him no attention, Sasuke shrugged and looked at Naruto pleadingly. Scratching his blond head, the whiskered boy growled softly. "Looks like we don't have a choice. We've some time before we have to buckled down for the night. I say we hunt her down now and tell her. 'Sides, I'm more than ready to get this crap off my chest."

"Hope we don't regret is all," muttered Sasuke. "Kurenai is trustworthy, yeah, but, how trustworthy?"

"She hasn't told the Hokage yet," supplied a soft, feminine voice. The two boys glanced down at the frowning Sakura, whose eyes were still averted. "It's been weeks. If she's not going to take her case to the Hokage with what she's got, I would say we've got a pretty good shot at her being a trustworthy person, who may be for our cause."

"Lots to lose, though," argued Sasuke, but slide his hands in his pockets. "Fun stuff. Let's go inform the genjutsu queen then. Sakura, think you can scout her out?"

"I'll try," the rosette said, standing up and clapping her hands together for the Ram seal. Concentrating deeply, her eyes closed as her chakra flowed away from her body and towards the village. Naruto turned away from her and looked over the Hokage Tower, his face bearing an expression of boredom. Sakura's eyebrows narrowed slightly, and her eyes flashed open as the chakra quickly dispersed. "Found her," she said, letting her arms fall to her sides as she turned to look at Sasuke. "She's over on Training Ground Eight with Hinata-chan, Kiba, and Shino."

"Great, so now we have to get rid of dog-boy and that Shino kid." Naruto let his head fall back and he looked up at the sky, thinking of a maneuver that would rid them of the extra ears. He noticed Sakura's hands begin to run through a sequence of hand seals, before she settled on the Horse seal, and a beam of blue chakra began to blaze where her index fingers met. The chakra began to change to green, then yellow, orange, red, pink, fuchsia, and finally purple. The two boys watched her in confusion as a bead of sweat made its way down her left temple, before sliding down and her cheek and onto her red one-piece dress. The chakra began to shimmer slightly, and a near invisible path of light beamed down in the direction of the training grounds.

Gasping, Sakura fell down onto the hard rock, where Sasuke assisted her. Naruto looked on, but said nothing, and turned his gaze away when Sakura glanced up at him. Feeling the same emotion she'd been feeling for weeks tease her in the back of her mind, she shook her head hard, and rose up slowly. Dusting herself off, and smiling at Sasuke for his help, she said, "Hinata is now aware of our need for privacy. By the time we arrive, she should have found an excuse to relieve her and Kurenai-sensei of the boys."

Sasuke made a low whistle, and Naruto felt somewhat inclined to agree. "What was that technique," asked Sasuke, almost wishing he'd activated his Sharingan. "Never seen it before."

Sakura glanced at him, and nodded her head in the direction of the training grounds. Within seconds, she vanished from her spot on the Sandaime's monumental head, and Naruto and Sasuke were directly behind her as she explained, "It was a technique Shikamaru and I developed shortly after the fall of the Iwagakure. This was before Tsunade-shishou vanished suddenly when Akatsuki launched their violent attack on Konoha."

She paused when she made an odd landing on the roof of one building, but continued as soon as she had steadied her pace again: "Shikamaru and I felt there was a need for a type of correspondence that couldn't be read by an enemy. Of course, we never developed it enough to display any words – all we could maintain was a beam of light. And, even then, a person has to know what they're seeing isn't just the sun's rays shining down on them. Because a lot of shinobi from Konoha had to leave to aid the Sunagakure, we didn't have a chance to really use this technique, however. No one had enough chakra for that, and by that time, it was just easier to use a carrier falcon."

The three genin jumped off of one house and started to run across the ground quickly. Continuing, Sakura said, "I remember Shikamaru had made a breakthrough one evening, but when Temari was taken as a hostage, I couldn't very well have kept him there."

"That was when…"

Surprised that Naruto had spoken up, though it had only been three words, it encouraged Sakura to continue by saying, "Yes… That was when Temari of the Sunagakure fell to that Tobi guy. So, I'm pretty glad that we did manage to come to the past, since I know he was still alive. If Pein hadn't killed us off, he surely would have."

Sasuke ran in pace with the pink-haired girl as they neared the training grounds. "Did you ever name the technique?"

"No," she said softly. "I didn't feel I had the right, as it wasn't entirely me who made the technique. I won't name it unless he tells me to do so, and…"

She was saved from having to finish her sentence as they broke into the lush grass of the training grounds and passed an exuberant Kiba. Kiba noticed them rush off, and frowned at his teammate Shino before looking back at the three. Naruto looked back at him and waved as he continued running. Still frowning, he picked up Akamaru and began to continue walking with Shino.

Sasuke burst into the clearing first, and since they were ridding themselves of all pretenses with Yuuhi Kurenai, tackled an unsuspecting Hyuuga to the ground. Naruto stopped as soon as he was in range and burst out laughing at the expression on Hinata's face. Kurenai chuckled a bit when she saw her student go flying backwards when the Uchiha tackled her. They had slid across the ground, and Sasuke laughed at Hinata's face as well before standing up, and helping her as well. Sakura gave a half-smile at her friend's expense, though she immediately became serious as soon as she saw Kurenai. Turning to the woman, she narrowed her leaf-green eyes and placed a glare on the woman. Kurenai was soon frowning down at the genin, and raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"We're ready."

"Ah," said Kurenai, uncertain of what else to say. "I'm sure you'd rather have a private place to discuss…whatever it is we're about to talk about, right?"

"Preferably," said Naruto, his blue eyes looking at her intensely. "You've got somewhere in mind?"

"Everyone, please maintain contact with me," she said, holding up the half seal of the Ram. As each genin grabbed an edge of her shirt, she concentrated, and they soon disappeared and reappeared in an apartment somewhere. Gesturing towards the couch in the living room and the several chairs available, she said, "Please make yourself comfortable. Beverages, anyone?"

Upon receiving several glares, Kurenai held up her hands in a defensive motion, muttering to herself, "Just being courteous…"

As soon as she sat in one of the chairs at the dining table, she rested her chin her upraised hands, looking at each genin with a frown. Leaning back, she went through various hand seals and the five again felt chakra flow over them as the entire apartment was sealed for privacy. Sighing softly, Kurenai looked at Naruto silently. The blond nodded slowly, eyes narrowed.

"It's time then. Now, before we start, I'm going to warn you again," the vessel said, his voice growing slightly deeper. "What we say, is going to sound very, very odd, but you need to believe everything. We also need to know that you will hold us in great confidence, and will not act against our wishes in the future. Good intentions or not, doing something against what we regulate may cost you, and we don't have that kind of time. Or patience."

Kurenai narrowed her blood-red eyes slightly, and a kunai seemed to magically appear in her hand. Naruto didn't make any movements as Kurenai stripped the bandages from her left arm. With her right hand, she quickly slid the kunai down her wrist, her eyes narrowed in concentration. She looked up at Naruto with her right hand in the half seal of a Ram, and he sighed, taking his own kunai and pushing back the sleeve of his left arm. Sliding his own kunai down his left wrist in a similar motion, he also made the half seal of the Ram with his right hand.

"Keiyaku no Ketsueki!" the two said at the same time. Hinata let loose a little smirk at Sasuke, who rolled his eyes. Naruto frowned at them, confused, but he turned his attention back to the woman. "Thank you," he said, watching their skin burn black and reveal a kanji bearing the word "blood". Naruto smiled at the teacher, and nodded slightly. "I feel I can trust you now. So, let me just get this out real quick," he murmured, catching Kurenai's advent attention. She leaned forward slightly, and he whispered, "We're from the future…and I'm the sixth Hokage."

She stared at him in disbelief, her blood-red eyes wide. "You're kidding!"

"Well, yeah, but…you don't have to act like it's not credible," muttered Naruto. "Anyway, the future part was real."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, okay, okay. It all started like this: in another time, in another place, in another reality…"

Sakura glared at the blond, yelling, "Naruto! Shut up already!"

Turning to the woman and ignoring the now fuming blond, she said, "The fact of the matter is, for us, we are relieving our past. We are actually twenty years old each, and, with the chakra reserves we carried before, were quite capable in killing off ten Orochimarus, quite easily. Of course, as it is, we can't do crap…damn, I'm botching this…"

Kurenai hoped she didn't look as confused as she felt. "Well, why don't you just start from the beginning."

Naruto waved away Sakura, saying, "It all starts with Kyuubi."

* * *

Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu – Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique  
Katon: Karyuu Endan – Fire Release: Fire Dragon Blast  
Magen: Ori no Kyomu – Demonic Illusion: Cage of Nothingness  
Keiyaku no Ketsueki – Blood Contract

First completion: 12/29/2007 11:39:57 PM

* * *

All right, I don't usually leave end comments, but I wanted to clarify something: I added several new factors into this chapter. I'm sure you're going to want to question a HELL of a lot here, and go ahead - I'll answer your questions to the best of my ability. You may, at many points in the story have wondered, "What the hell just happened here?" If you did, then I have to say that's great, because that was what I was hoping for. If I have too many overlapping questions, I will answer them with the next chapter, just so everyone understands as a whole. All right, thanks for reading. And once again, I would like for someone to beta for me. Anyone who's available, great! See you next chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry about the wait. It's been a while. I hadn't planned to take so long, but one thing turned into another and another, and then before I knew it, three months of school went by and I was left exhausted. So, since it's Spring Break, I thought I'd pass this chapter along to you guys. Hope you enjoy.

P.S. - I'm not a review hog, but...some more _would_ be nice. If nothing else then to inflate my ego. It's been pretty...flat lately.

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

Chapter Four

Naruto's eyes darkened slightly as he lowered them to look down at the tabletop. "In our time dimension," he began, "the same things have occurred, just as they have in yours, Kurenai-sensei. The point where everything changed was upon our graduation from the academy. Only for us four has this change been so drastic – especially me. When I was twelve in our dimension, I failed the genin exam…badly."

Frowning, the other three time-travelers paid close attention to the blond's words, having never truly known what had happened that fateful day. All they had known was Naruto had failed the exam, and had miraculously appeared in the graduating class with a shiny, new hitai-ate. Sasuke's hands clenched his white shorts as he reigned in old emotions, while Sakura's eyes glimmered with old memories of earlier days. Naruto's eyes snapped up to look at Hinata, who had placed a hand gently on his shoulder to help ease him past the harsh past he had lived. After blinking a few times, Naruto's mouth formed a hesitant grin and he nodded slightly. Turning back to Kurenai, he continued:

"The task, like usual, was to form two workable Bunshin, and, unfortunately, I was incapable of such a task. So, I failed. 'Course, I was pretty torn up; after all, who wouldn't be upset over such a failure? When all the graduates gathered outside to boast of their success to their parents, I sat on the schoolyard swing, watching them with envy."

Rubbing the back of his head tiredly, Naruto said, "Though I hadn't known it at the time, I wasn't envious of the fact that they had passed, so much as the fact that they were recognized…by someone. Anyway," he said, waving his hand and laughing slightly, "back to the main story. I was sitting on the swing when lo and behold, Mizuki appeared. Surprise, surprise," came the sarcastic comment from the blond. "The bastard hooked me line-and-sinker into thinking I'd pass the genin exam if I got the Scroll of Forbidden Seals and learned techniques from it. 'Course, like some dolt, I believed him and stole it, and concentrated on learning one of the many jutsus listed. Through practicing for a few hours, I gained the new skill of Kage Bunshin no Jutsu…which seems kind of ironic, since I couldn't even make a regular Bunshin.

"Iruka-sensei found me after those few hours, and yelled me a good one. How was I know it was forbidden in all cases, with none being exempt from the rule? It was after this that Mizuki appeared and then all chaos reigned. I was informed of the beast in my body, and my world completely shattered."

Chuckling slightly, a pained expression crossed the vessel's face and he continued with, "I ran after that. I didn't want it to be true. I didn't want to hear that Iruka-sensei hated me, and that he hated me for something I couldn't control. I didn't want to face the idea of everyone hating me because of something I couldn't prevent. I was scared, pathetic…and stupid. Somehow, I thought I could outrun a chuunin and live to tell the tale. Yeah, right – the bastard found me, injured Iruka-sensei, pissed me off, and so I beat the shit out of him."

He grinned at Sasuke, teeth glinting. "I liked that part."

Kurenai's eyes were clouded as she took in all Naruto had told her. "I see," she began thoughtfully. "Umino-san awarded you based on finishing off the traitor, I would assume?"

"That," said Naruto, eyebrows raised slightly as he explained, "and the fact that I successfully performed the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, and made at least two hundred clones or so."

Sasuke and Sakura traded glances, each one now understanding how he'd managed to graduate finally. The last Uchiha looked over at Naruto, murmuring, "Well, that solves that question. It was after that event that we met Kakashi-sensei, right?"

"Of course," said Sakura, interjecting softly. "We did our share of D-Rank missions until Naruto felt us competent enough to attend to a C-Rank mission – helping Tazuna of the Wave Country. We were approximately in the same place in the timeline before as we are right now."

"Tell me more of this C-Rank mission," commanded Kurenai gently. "I'm not quite sure I feel genin to be ready for a C-Rank…even though I am reassured that you three would probably do just fine. But, how did you do before?"

"Nearly died," quipped Naruto.

"Cried myself to death," Sakura muttered.

"Found myself spiked to the brim with senbon needles, and therefore placed into a state of near-death," said Sasuke sardonically. "Found myself to be inadequate against someone who wasn't even a ninja, and also woke up with approximately two hundred kilos on me."

Sakura stared at him in disbelief. "I don't weigh two hundred kilos, you…you… I don't weigh that much!"

"Felt like it…"

Sakura slammed her hands on Kurenai's dining room table, and a crack ran through the dense wood. Kurenai's right eye began to twitch, though Sakura hadn't noticed until Sasuke pointed at her, and then the table. Upon seeing the repercussion of her action, she jumped back and glanced over at Kurenai. "I…" she began slowly, holding her hands in surrender. "I can fix that, Kurenai-sensei… My apologies."

Hinata and Naruto sighed softly, each silently admonishing the rosette as Kurenai's eye continued to twitch. "It's fine," said the genjutsu specialist. "I…needed a new one anyway."

Sakura sighed in relief, and Sasuke smirked. She glared at him, sat back down at the table and began to mutter, "Damn duck-butt."

"I don't have a god-damned, duck-butt haircut, damn it!" yelled Sasuke, slamming his own fist into the table. Another crack seeped through the table, intercrossing the first and allowing the table to break apart into four pieces. Kurenai's left eye had begun to twitch rapidly as well, and Naruto shifted over towards Hinata more to get away from the now shaking genjutsu mistress. Hinata frowned slightly at Naruto's actions, and she quickly stood to take Kurenai's hand, and drag her to the living room. Naruto followed, sparing a last glance toward the still arguing Uchiha and Haruno.

The three sat down on the couch and Naruto cleared his throat to gain their attention. "Yeah, so, moving on… We weren't ready for that mission yet. It turned out to technically be a B- to A-Rank mission. We encountered Momochi Zabuza of the Kirigakure, and found ourselves in a hell of a lot of trouble. Let's see, the first time we fought him, we barely scraped by: Kakashi-sensei was forced to use the Sharingan, then he got trapped in Suirou no Jutsu, and I formulated a quick plan with which both Sasuke and I executed. Kakashi-sensei got released, and fought again with Zabuza, winning the battle before Haku, disguised as a hunter-nin, took the guy away."

"Wait!" Kurenai exclaimed softly, giving Naruto her full attention. "You fought against Momochi Zabuza? He's supposedly one of the Seven Swordsman of the Mist!"

"Not supposedly," said Naruto with a frown. "Is, or was, or whatever. Anyway, the guy was amazingly strong, and Haku was strong, too."

"Who's Haku?"

"Some kid Zabuza picked up and trained as a ninja tool. I hated Zabuza for that, but, Haku seemed to adore the guy."

Kurenai gaped slightly, softly saying, "I see… How…informative."

"Anyway, we killed those guys in the end, and when we came back, we hit high time for the Chuunin Exam. All the rookies participated, and the first exam was nothing special. Right, Hinata?"

Hinata glanced at him quickly, mustering a small grin. "I suppose not, seeing as you chose not to answer a single thing."

"You win some, you lose some," Naruto muttered, frowning at the Hyuuga heiress, who beamed back. "It was the second exam that proved detrimental to everything."

He looked up as Sasuke came up from behind him, and he grinned, saying, "Oh, did you finish your duck-butt conversation?"

Sasuke ignored him, and focused his angry eyes at the jounin. "It was the second exam that screwed me for life. Orochimaru appeared, and decided to have a little fun."

"Orochimaru!" exclaimed Kurenai, so surprised that she quickly rose from her seat on the couch. "You fought Orochimaru? Why didn't you run?" she continued to demand, fists clenching. "He's a S-Class Nukenin!_Why didn't you run_?"

"I didn't particularly feel like dying without a fight," came the curt reply. "We fought that bastard, and he left me a gift that ruined what little humanity I had remaining. I'm sure you know of it – that woman, Anko or whatever, has it, too."

Kurenai's face began to lose color, and she fell back on the couch with a defeated expression. "Anko-chan," she whispered. "What," she began, looking up at the glaring Uchiha, "does that seal do, exactly?"

"The Cursed Seal of Heaven gives its victim a highly-energized power boost, allowing the person's chakra to multiply by nearly ten times. It carries three stages in actuality, though I was only able to reach the second level. First stage heightens your power, while the second allows for a transformation of sorts. The price of the technique is the mental breakdown of whatever innocence or purity one contains in his body. Evil thoughts begin to penetrate and turn you away from what you originally stood for."

Whatever color was left in Kurenai's quickly disappeared, leaving her absolutely ashen. Sakura and Hinata readied themselves, in case Kurenai found herself incapable of staying conscious. "That bastard," she whispered softly. "That's why Anko has periods of pain in her neck, right? Next time he comes around, I swear: I will kill him myself."

Naruto laughed, clapping a hand on the woman's shoulder. "Yeah, yeah, take a number. That guy, he'll definitely appear again at the exams. Anyway," he said, frowning, "we got out of the second exam alive, more or less. Because there were too many people, we had preliminary fights, with which the winners were…me, Neji, Sasuke, Shikamaru, Shino, and the sand applicants: Temari, Gaara, and Kankurou."

Kurenai looked slightly relieved after hearing one of her students passed, but felt the need to ask about Kiba. Naruto grinned, saying, "I beat him. Sorry Sensei."

Nodding slightly, Kurenai turned towards a stone-faced Hinata, asking, "Hinata?"

"I nearly died when Neji-nii-san decided to take his anger out on me."

She sighed at Kurenai's soft hiss of disbelief. "At this stage, he still blames the Main Branch for his troubled times, though he was much better after Naruto beat some sense into him. Which brings us to after the preliminaries – a month passed and the third exam finally took place. We had a few battles, but that's when Orochimaru began his attack. Konoha suffered severe damage due to the war, and the Sandaime lost his life. Orochimaru killed him."

Kurenai eyes widened immensely and she turned towards Hinata quickly. "Hokage-sama…killed? Is this true? Hinata, please tell me you're just joking!"

Hinata was unable to meet her instructor's eyes, and instead looked down at the ground in shame. "I…am deeply sorry, Kurenai-sensei. There was nothing that could be done in that situation."

"There's more," said Naruto softly, a frown on his face. "While Orochimaru was fighting the Old Man, I was busy dealing with a sand genin named Gaara who is also a jinchuuriki. Unfortunately, his seal wasn't as…tightly constructed as mine is, and so, he unleashed the demon within him."

"Gaara is a jinchuuriki, too?" asked Kurenai. "I hadn't realized the Sand held a jinchuuriki in their village as well. What is he like?"

Naruto, Sasuke, Hinata, and Sakura traded glances, each frowning. "Well," began Sasuke, "he's a bit…unstable, to tell the truth. Unlike Naruto, he never gained any recognition from his village at all, and he'd been lied to at a young age, which completely screwed him over."

"After Naruto beat him, though," continued Sakura, "he was a bit more sociable, and eventually, we became allies to the Sand, even though they had originally been paired with Orochimaru for the destruction of Konoha."

Sakura noticed Kurenai's confused face, and laughed hesitantly. "Ah, I suppose we went just a bit out of order. We're not sure how long he was carrying such a façade, but Orochimaru had killed off the Fourth Kazekage a long while before the Chuunin Exams. In addition, he went around acting as the Kazekage, and no one but the Sand's council had realized it. The Sand was led to believe the destruction of Konoha would be in their best interest, and so, in the final exam, the Sand and Sound villages launched a full-scale attack on Konoha."

Sasuke nodded in agreement, placing his hands on his hips as he stated, "Luckily, Konoha was able to deal out a good defense, and we're lucky we had one of the Sannin on our side, though I'm not sure how much help that guy really was. Anyway, our ninja were able to repel the enemy forces, and as we did, news crept across the village of the Hokage's death…"

"I didn't know until I woke up in the hospital after my battle with Gaara," whispered Naruto, eyes downcast. "After the attack, we had the Hokage's funeral, and it seemed that everything was at peace again. But, it was at this point when Jiraiya, the Toad Sannin, offered me a chance to train and assist him in a retrieval mission."

Kurenai said nothing from where her face was buried in her hands. The four genin flinched slightly when they heard soft sniffles coming from the jounin, and on each one's face, an expression of guilt surfaced. "Hokage-sama," Kurenai whispered as she desperately tried to wipe away the tears running down her face, causing the four to flinch back even more. The soon-to-be-called "Ice Queen of Konoha," the woman who had always faced battle with a straight and calculating expression, was crying softly in front of them. Naruto clutched at his black shirt tightly, unable to look at the jounin, while Sasuke turned away from her, eyes closed tightly. The other two genin, Sakura and Hinata, moved closer to comfort Kurenai, each feeling like heels because of their callous words.

"Sorry, Sensei," muttered Naruto, his fists clenched. "It's a been a long time for us, so we've had time to get over the pain. We didn't think about your feelings. Sorry."

Approximately five to ten minutes passed before Kurenai found herself able to focus on the matter at hand again. Her eyes were a dull red as she glanced at the blond boy, nodding her head slightly as she rasped out, "So, what happened after Hokage-sama…passed away? You said Jiraiya took you with him for training and a mission?"

"Yes, Kurenai-sensei," said Naruto after a slightly pause. Glancing at his companions, he turned to face Kurenai completely. "Due to the Hokage's death, the village needed a new leader; while the elders had turned towards Jiraiya for help, he basically blew them off and took me halfway across the nation to find Tsunade. We found her after a coincidental run-in with Orochimaru, again, and found he wanted to restore his arms – the ones that the Sandaime killed off with his life-eating jutsu thing."

Sakura frowned over at Naruto, taking up the helm by saying, "Shiki Fuujin: the Dead Demon Consuming Seal," she stated, looking next towards Kurenai. "Because the Sandaime felt Orochimaru had finally gotten out of control, he tried to kill off the sannin through the use of this jutsu, but was already in a near-death situation by that time. Because of this, Hokage-sama took away the ability to perform jutsus from Orochimaru, thus ending that aspect of the declared war on Konoha. Konoha scraped by with a win, and that was solely due to the ending efforts of the Hokage."

Kurenai frowned slightly, before she tilted her head into a gentle nod. "Continue. What happened after you found Tsunade? Did something else happen with Orochimaru?"

"Of course," continued Naruto, placing his hands in his pockets. "After we found Tsunade, and heard that Orochimaru had tried to make a deal with her – his healed arms for both her revived younger brother and lover – she started talking bad about the Hokage. Of course, I didn't take that sitting down, and challenged her," the boy said with a grin, showing off his pearly teeth. Glancing down at his hand, he said, "I charged up an incomplete Rasengan to try and finish her off, and ended up flying halfway across the town after she flicked my forehead with her _finger_. She challenged me, saying she'd give me her necklace if I mastered the Rasengan."

"And?" Kurenai prodded. "Did you master it?"

With a small, sad smile, Naruto nodded, his hand automatically reaching for a necklace that was no longer around his neck. "I won… But, the day I mastered it, was the final day for Orochimaru to receive an answer from Tsunade. She basically said no, and all the Sannin got into this huge fight. Shizune, Tsunade's apprentice, fought with Kabuto, Orochimaru's right-hand man, but ended up losing. So, I decided to join the fight with my newly mastered jutsu! Got my ass handed to me at the beginning, but then I dealt the bastard a good blow with my Rasengan!"

The blond began dancing randomly in the middle of Kurenai's living room, much to the amusement of everyone else. "And!" he declared in continuance while he was still dancing, "I nearly died. I don't really recall what happened. All I can remember is when I woke up in the hotel room in town, though I did find out about how Tsunade ran Orochimaru off and that she was going to become the Fifth Hokage. So, the retrieval mission was said and done with."

Sasuke gently tapped Naruto on the shoulder, causing the latter to become silent. Turning towards the thoughtful jounin, Sasuke said, "That's not all. During the time immediately after the war, after Naruto had left with Jiraiya-sama, my brother and his friend, Kisame, came to the village."

Kurenai's eyes widened slightly, her lips thinning as she stared up at the last Uchiha. "Uchiha Itachi is going to come back? What does he want now?"

"I'm getting to that," Sasuke said softly. "It was because Kakashi got hurt that I found out Itachi was in the village, and so I sought after him since I heard the bastard was after Naruto. I didn't know why, but I knew I had to find my teammate. Didn't do much good in the end, but…"

Kurenai turned her gaze from Sasuke, to Naruto, and back again. "What was he after Naruto for?"

"He was trying to get the bijuu in me," Naruto said softly. "Itachi and Kisame are part of an organization called Akatsuki, and their mission is to gather all the bijuus for some world domination ideal. Anyway, he didn't get me, so let's fast forward. Let's see," he murmured, cupping his chin with his right hand. "Ah, right, I remember. After that was basically the Sasuke Retrieval Mission. Sasuke went off to join Orochimaru, and the Konoha Nine, no, Eight, had to deal with the Sound Four – Orochimaru's elite bodyguards. Yeah, that was a toughie, and we ended up involving the Sand genin, too."

Noticing Kurenai's confused expression, he quickly said, "Remember: we declared peace with the Sand after they found out what Orochimaru had done, and so, we were all happy, happy by that point. Anyway, even the Sand genin helped us, but in the end, it came out to a one-on-one duel between Sasuke and me. Mano a mano."

Kurenai's eyes flicked over to glance at Sasuke as she took in his grim expression. "So, who won?"

"Well," Naruto began, drawing out the word, "I definitely lost. He went to Orochimaru. Basically, end of story. Jiraiya got me out of the hospital, and I went on a long, long, training journey. Fast forward to three years later. I came back, met up with the gang, and found out we had a new teammate for Team Seven, blah, blah, blah, and so on. Main things to consider at this point at that we met Sasuke again, got beat down again, and went back to Konoha in pain, again. Somewhere along the way, Sasuke killed Orochimaru, people of Akatsuki were killed, Jiraiya was killed…lots of killing. This is enough for you, right?"

The female jounin took in a deep breath, letting it out with a sigh. "I suppose that will do for now. I don't want more information getting in the way of what's to immediately take place in the next few months. First things first," she said, standing up and looking down at the time travelers. "All of you, unless within range of me, do_not_ perform any jutsu you have not been shown in this timeline. I also don't feel it's a good idea for just me to know about this – it would be better if Kakashi-san knew as well, seeing as he's your instructor. Right now, I plan to go ahead and ask the Hokage to allow Team Eight to assist you three with your mission. We can't afford such risks to take place if what you said leads to be true.

"In addition, I will help all of you to the best of my ability, though I've one more request," she said, her tone softening with each word. Looking at Sasuke, she gently asked, "May I also include Anko in all of this? If nothing else, maybe you can help her control that…thing on her neck?"

Sasuke sighed softly, shrugging. "It probably wouldn't hurt. But, if there's nothing else, we're going to go ahead and get some rest. We'll see you in the morning."

Sakura bowed her head towards the jounin, stating, "As you're a reconnaissance team, consisting of a Byakugan user, an Inuzuka, and an Aburame, please go ahead of us. We'll let Kakashi know when we all meet up at the Zabuza site."

Kurenai took another deep breath, nodding as she let it out. "Where's the best place to begin reconnaissance, Sakura? Is there a certain system you would like me to employ, or a specific target to keep sights on, aside of Zabuza?"

Hinata, Sasuke, and Naruto gave Sakura full-reign while she immediately launched into a plan: "There's a hunter-nin boy, Haku, who watches the fight between Zabuza and Kakashi from afar. However good his intentions were, he caused a lot of problems for all of us later on, which led to his death. Our battle plan this time around is to minimize deaths by as much as possible, so, we'll need you to capture that boy and keep him out of the way. Your team, since Hinata is on it, should be able to do that on their own, and so, I need, or rather, _request_ of you, Kurenai-sensei, to assist Kakashi-sensei in defeating Zabuza. But, do not kill the man – surprisingly enough, he turned good in the end, and could prove a useful ally to us."

The woman nodded when Sakura finished, asking, "Where should my team wait for your arrival?"

"There's a small lake on the road towards the village, after you've reached the Land of the Waves. That's where our battle will take place, and it would be preferable if you could lay out a few traps to catch the two beforehand. If we're lucky, those will stop them, but odds are that they won't. These are all of the suggestions I can give. Ah," she murmured, turning towards Hinata. "Make sure to keep Kiba and Shino away from our fight. Until we tell them what's going on, we can't risk them getting in our way."

"What?" asked Naruto incredulously. "We're telling _them_, too? Are you serious? What happened to this huge secret to be kept under wraps?"

Sakura ignored his sarcasm, glaring at him. "Oh? And what are we supposed to do if one of us happens to accidentally unleash a Rasengan, Chidori, or if I happen to start healing people automatically? Or even if Hinata launches out a Chuuzuri Hakkeshou Kaiten? We can't take those kind of risks! Knowledge of the future is precious, and if something goes wrong, are you going to take responsibility for it? No?" she asked, eyes narrowed dangerously as he turned away. "Then shut up about it, and let us rework this from every angle we can!"

Hinata and Sasuke traded glances, and Hinata laid a hand on Sakura's shoulder. "We should go, and give Kurenai-sensei some time to herself."

Sakura's eyes flew to glare into Hinata's lavender ones, before seeing them calmly staring back at her. Clearing her throat, Sakura bowed her head at Kurenai, walking out of the living room area and towards the door. Sasuke and Hinata made to follow, but the latter looked back to see Naruto still standing stock-still, not having moved at all. Raising an eyebrow at the blond, he shrugged his shoulders and ushered himself and the other two out the door. Kurenai heard the door click closed, and watched Naruto move towards it and lock it tightly. When he returned to the living room, Kurenai looked at him expectantly, her blood-red eyes weary and tired.

His cloudy eyes cleared significantly as he gestured for the woman to sit down again. "You know now what our plan is for the betterment of Konoha. However, you don't know a slight drawback to this plan of ours."

"What's that?" asked the genjutsu specialist. "Enlighten me, Uzumaki."

"You're a smart woman," continued Naruto, "so you know that attack I made on you weeks ago wasn't just some playtime act. I greatly hesitate to talk to the others about this, because this is something that could ruin our plans very easily. Unfortunately, what I'm about to say doesn't make a lot of sense to me, either, seeing as it concerns a lot of demon bonds and whatnot."

"Elaborate."

"That day, I had taken a trip down into the murky depths of my mind to talk to the Kyuubi about our situation, and how we could have landed in the past. What I found, though, is not anything I could have at all expected."

Taking a deep breath, Naruto released it quickly, moving to begin a pacing regiment. Moving quickly to and fro in front of Kurenai, he asked, "Of course you know that when people travel in time, no one person can exist as a double of any other. It's scientifically impossible as well as a ticking time bomb. However, that's what I saw when I went into my depths – I saw my Kyuubi, another Kyuubi…and myself."

Kurenai's eyes widened slightly. "Two Kyuubis? And another you? What are you saying?"

"I'm saying something happened during the process of my Kyuubi calling upon a demon spell to send us to the past. A mishap took place, and while he should've put us in the exact spot we should have been transported to, a misalignment occurred. Meaning, we veered slightly off course, and are therefore in this timeline with our doubles within our mental confines."

Completely unused to hearing the blond speak with such technical terms, she raised her head a small fraction, though he quickly caught the movement. Smiling shakily, he explained, "Sorry. I was in ANBU for a while, too, so I was drilled to have a better understanding of the world. In other words, I can't act like some country bumpkin all the time anymore. May I continue?"

"Ah," the woman said, taken aback. "Please do, if you would."

Naruto gave her a quick grin, and she felt her heart quiver slightly. For a small fraction of a second, she almost felt as if she couldn't see the twelve-year-old boy in front of her, but rather his actual twenty-year-old self. That was ridiculous though, she quickly concluded as Naruto cleared his throat. _Right now, it's not too hard to believe he's actually from a different timeline_, Kurenai thought to herself._ This is not the Naruto I remember running through the streets a couple of months ago. He's…different. He's…older. He's…_

Cutting her thoughts quickly where they were, she nodded at Naruto to continue. He gave her one more grin and said, "So, since we have doubles, as the Kyuubi explained it to me, we have a hell of a lot of trouble. You see, for the most basic of the problems, all four of us now have a another person running around inside of us – the twelve-year-old version. Were we not as strong as we are, there would be the issue of our inner selves somehow taking control of their bodies again; while that wouldn't be too bad a thing overall, our own consciousness would fade as if we were never there from the beginning. If we want to save the world, that's not an option.

"Luckily, the other selves are now in a hibernating, or comatose, state due to Sasuke's, Hinata's, Sakura's, and my own more dominant personalities. Because of this, we are not receiving the chakra levels our twelve-year-old selves contained. Perhaps this isn't so big a thing for the others, but for me…"

Naruto gritted his fists, and threw a glance towards the window quickly. Kurenai watched his ears and nose twitch slightly, before his body relaxed and he looked back at her. "Sorry," he apologized, eyes slightly narrowed. "For me, I had a crap load of chakra from the start, excluding what I received from the Kyuubi. Were I to take in that amount, I'd be in a less than stable condition. If we add my Kyuubi, and the Kyuubi belonging to this timeline, I'll die. Quickly. And, it seems that I've ruined things once again."

His cornflower-blue eyes were bright with unshed tears as he looked up at the jounin, a smile wobbling shakily on his face. "You see… Well, I don't really understand it fully myself, but, there's a type of demon blood bond between this timeline's Kyuubi, Sakura, Sasuke, Hinata, and me. Alone, if any of our other consciousness's wake up, it's fine, but…if this timeline's Kyuubi wakes up, it's fatal, for everyone. Me, my friends, this timeline's Konoha…everyone within vicinity of the Kyuubi's power. I don't understand it, but if I do something wrong, and he wakes up, my friends will all die, like nothing."

The pupils of Kurenai's eyes tightened slightly as her eyes widened, causing her red irises to stand out even more so than usual. "What are you saying, Uzumaki? And why are you telling me this?"

"You're the only one who would believe me, probably," he said, shrugging. "But, that's another reason I'm entrusting this secret to you. You, who I've made a blood contract with. This blood bond this timeline's Kyuubi has cannot ever be evoked, and because of that, I need your help. I need favors – but, I understand if you decide to say 'no'. I'm asking a lot of you, and you've given quite a lot already as is, but…"

Kurenai wrapped her arms around herself, meeting the blond's eyes with her own. "Tell me what you need."

"Thank you," the boy said, bowing fully to her, "Kurenai-sensei. I need for you to find a way to contact Jiraiya. As a Seal Master, he can help me to split up the cage between my two Kyuubis, lowering the probability of this timeline's Kyuubi waking up. He can also help me create different methods of sealing away my other self, as well as the others' selves, too. Maybe I'll be lucky enough to find a way to keep this timeline's Kyuubi in a comatose state for a good period of time – long enough to do what we need to do.

"I also need you to tutor me in the use of genjutsu – the more genjutsu knowledge I can acclaim to, the easier time I'll have to find more ways to store my chakra without having a reaction from the Kyuubi. I don't know if you know this or not, but, whenever I get in trouble, or suffer chakra depletion, the Kyuubi assists me. I can't have either Kyuubi feeling a pull from my depleted state, or the other one will wake up. Because of this, things will be a bit more difficult this time around, and I'll actually have to think before I act. Another thing I'm wary of, too, is if I die, this timeline's Kyuubi will be let loose. He isn't directly caged to me, so…there won't be anything holding him back when I'm gone. I can't have that, either.

"Lastly, I want you to guarantee you will not stop me should I do something outrageously reckless."

Kurenai frowned, rising to her full height. "What are you talking about? How reckless do you mean?"

Naruto chuckled. "I have a few plans on how to get rid of the Kyuubi without causing damage to everyone else, but it's very, very risky."

The jounin narrowed her eyes slightly, and Naruto looked away quickly. "Remember when we told you about the Akatsuki? How they're taking bijuu for world domination? Well, what happens when someone has two bijuu…and gives the troublesome one away? That person won't die…but the enemy will get an upper hand. But, what if that bijuu happens to cease to exist when taken out of my living consciousness? I'll still have another bijuu, so, I won't die, right? What will happen?"

The direction of Naruto's thoughts hit Kurenai like a ton of bricks. "You wouldn't… That…how can you think of doing something so incredibly reckless? I will not agree to it! There must be another way!"

Naruto gave her a small smirk, and turned to walk towards the door. The jounin quickly reached for the boy, but her hands touched nothing but swirling leaves. Eyes wide and hands shaking violently, Kurenai quickly wrapped her arms around her body again, taking in deep breaths and letting them out quickly.

What kind of person did one have to be…to play with death?

She shook her head hard, realizing she had a job to complete on her end of the bargain. Completing a Shushin no Jutsu, Kurenai found herself in the lobby of the Hokage Tower, and she wasted no time in swiftly moving towards the receptionist at the front desk. The woman raised her golden eyes to look at Kurenai, slightly throwing the genjutsu mistress off balance. Clearing her throat slightly, she requested, "I need to see the Hokage. Immediately."

The golden-eyed woman raised a thin eyebrow. "Do you have an appointment? If not, I'm afraid to say his schedule is completely full for the rest of the evening and night."

"No," Kurenai said, her patience beginning to fail her. "I do not. However, I must see the Hokage – please allow me this."

"Hmm," the woman murmured, shifting through her many papers. "Would you like to make an appointment? There's an opening next week…say, Tuesday?"

"Again, no," came the polite, but terse, reply. "I must see him. Now. If you won't give me clearance, I assure you that I will still be going to his office one way or another."

The woman's eyes flashed dangerously and she stood up, walking around her desk and coming to stand a foot away from Kurenai. Both women looked at one another before the former said, "I'll ask you to leave right now, miss, before I call security to escort you out."

Kurenai's right eyebrow rose slowly, and her lips tightened into a frown. Tilting her chin up slightly, she shook her head and brushed by the woman, glaring back when she felt her elbow grasped. The frown on her face slowly flitted into a small smirk as her body faded out of the woman's eyesight. The woman stared at the space where Kurenai had been, blinking quickly as she rubbed her eyes. What had just happened?

The genjutsu specialist sighed softly as she lowered her right hand from the Ram seal while pulling her elbow out of the golden-eyed woman's grasp. Catching the woman before she fell, Kurenai set her down next to the receptionist desk, shaking her head gently. "Sorry," she whispered softly. "This may be a matter of life or death for a couple of people."

After one last glance at the receptionist, Kurenai's eyes looked up in alarm when she heard a couple of people's voices floating down the hallway. Heading for the stairs quickly, she took them two to three at time as she went up the tower. Upon reaching the top level, Kurenai placed a hand over her chest as she tried to steady her breathing. Taking a deep breath, she left it out slowly and rose her eyes up to look down the hall, her gaze determined. The "Ice Queen of Konoha" took long, purposeful strides towards the Hokage's office, and she nodded at the two ANBU guarding the entrance. Neither paid her any attention until she reached for one of the big, oaken door's handles, with which one ANBU placed a hand over hers in warning. Turning her blood-red eyes towards the guard, she was about to ask what the problem was when both of the big, oaken doors opened.

She stepped back quickly to allow the person to come out, and her eyes widened slightly when she saw the silver-haired jounin step into the hallway. Holding his beloved "Icha, Icha Paradise" book, Hatake Kakashi looked down at the woman with indifference. "Kurenai," he said, nodding at her. Feeling her etiquette grab a hold of her, she nodded in return, saying, "Kakashi-san."

After watching the silver-haired man amble down the hallway, Kurenai faced forward, proceeding into the office quickly. She approached the center of the area before the Sandaime's desk, and bowed deeply. "Professor" Sarutobi looked at Kurenai with surprise apparent on his face, a frown finding its way to his mouth. "Kurenai," he began, confused. "I had not realized you had made an appointment."

"I realize this is a bit unorthodox on my part," Kurenai started, still bowing, "but I couldn't afford to let this wait for another day."

"I see. Well, as you're already here, tell me what's on your mind."

She ignored the sounds of the ANBU closing the large doors. "Yes, Hokage-sama. A few things have been brought to my attention in the past few hours…"

* * *

The next day found Naruto standing at the main gate against the outer wall, scuffing his sandal against the green grass as Sasuke and Sakura both sighed irritably at their teacher's tardiness. His eyes rose from the green vegetation to look up at the sky, narrowing his eyes slightly as he noticed a few clouds within the area. He looked over to catch Sasuke's gaze, the latter returning it with the same amount of mild concern. Shifting his gaze a bit more, he accidentally locked onto Sakura's troubled eyes. Hesitating slightly, he forced himself to look away, causing a fleeting look of disappointment to fly across Sakura's face before disappearing. All three genin looked back to see the old man Tazuna and their jounin instructor Kakashi come walking towards the main gate. Expelling a sigh of irritation quickly, Naruto stood up straight and glared at Kakashi. The latter didn't bother to meet the blond's gaze and said,

"Is everyone ready?"

With silent, mutual agreement, Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke began to move forward, unconsciously forming a V-shaped formation with Naruto in the lead. Sakura looked behind them quickly to see Kakashi trailing behind their client, and she nodded slightly. For the road ahead, their formation would do well…if they could approach the enemy before the enemy got to them. She reached to her waistband where she placed all her medical supplies and thumbed through a few pockets. Upon locating her senbon needles, she took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. She saw Sasuke rubbing his arm where he had sealed a katana, and saw Naruto rubbing his hands together in slow strokes for optimal chakra retrieval. While they couldn't show much to Kakashi in the upcoming Demon Brothers battle, they could at least be prepared for the Momochi Zabuza battle.

She also found the first hour of walking to be extremely boring and tiresome – they didn't really have a need to talk to Tazuna about his situation since they already knew it, and they didn't feel they could talk to Kakashi since he wasn't in on their little scheme yet. Talking amongst themselves might have been okay, but because they could shift through topics very quickly, no one wanted to take the risk of saying something wrong or giving away something of the future. Yes, the first hour before the first battle was a long hour indeed.

She noticed Sasuke and Naruto tense up slightly after they crossed over a bridge and walked by a puddle of water. Sakura tightened her fists, feeling chakra automatically run down her arms and hover around them. Sasuke cracked his knuckles, a grin on his face as he walked further along, while Naruto carried the most serious expression of them all; his eyes were dark with infallible determination.

_I don't even know why we're getting so anxious about this_, he thought to himself, eyes narrowing slightly. _The battle didn't take very long the first time…I don't think. I just remember a flash and then Sasuke taking them down._

All three genin noticed Kakashi shift slightly and each tensed more before they heard the light footfalls against the dirt road. Each one turned around quickly as they saw two men dressed in black with chains coming from their claws. The two men dashed around Kakashi quickly and swung their chains around the man, pulling quickly and causing the man to rip into pieces quickly. Naruto frowned slightly as he noticed Kakashi retreating to the trees this time around. As soon as he heard one Brother say "First one!", he quickly signaled over to Sasuke and Sakura, each one rushing to their positions quickly. Sakura seemed to disappear for a short time before she appeared in front of Tazuna, right hand armed with a kunai and the left with a senbon between each finger. She shifted her center of gravity to a lower position, eyes focused on the two oncoming brothers.

Sasuke flew forward, hitting the ground hard and expelling chakra from his hands and feet as he rose up high into the air. Running through several hand seals, he yelled out, "Katon: Housenka no Jutsu!"

Balls of fire spouted out of Sasuke's mouth towards one of the Brothers, entrapping him and causing him to scream out from the heat. As Sasuke floated down from the high altitude, he reached into his supplies and pulled eight kunai, each one between his fingers on both hands. In a large sweeping motion, the Uchiha let the kunai fly down towards the Brother, each one hitting a portion of the man's neck and cutting through cleanly. Sasuke touched down on the ground lightly, rolling as he went. Dirt rose up in waves as he slid through towards the fiery mound that had been one of the Brothers. He turned to watch Naruto's progress, and saw the blond and four clones in battle with the other Brother.

Naruto slid through the dirt, reaching behind him to gather a few kunai and throw them towards the one remaining Brother as he was entrapped by the clones. The kunai attached themselves to the Brother's clothing and locked him tight against a tree. Each clone dissipated as Naruto ran forward, a blue ball of chakra spiraling in his hand. Sasuke and Sakura looked at him in alarm and the latter yelled,

"_Naruto_!"

The blond's chakra vanished immediately as he turned to look at the rosette. His eyes widened slightly and he hesitated, allowing enough time for Kakashi to jump down in front of him. Surprised, Naruto jumped back, his eyes shifting to look over at Sakura. Disapproval gleamed in her leaf-green eyes, making him feel even worse than having tried to use the Rasengan. Kakashi looked down at him, his lone eyebrow risen. Naruto glanced back up at him, a frown apparent on his face.

_It's just like last time_, he thought, tightening his small, childlike hands. _I screwed up again. I'm lucky Sakura yelled at me, or it would have been _really _bad._

The silver-haired man frowned behind his mask, thinking quickly, _That looked like the Yondaime's technique…impossible. Completely impossible…Naruto just has too much chakra than he knows what to do with._

He looked behind him to see the last Demon Brother unconscious and drooling slightly. Narrowing his one eye, he pulled out one of Naruto's kunai from the tree and slammed it into the Brother's chest. Turning back to glare at the older man, he said, "Tazuna-san. May I have a word?"

Naruto left the two older men and walked over to where Sakura and Sasuke were waiting. Looking first at Sasuke, he saw the raven-haired boy nod just barely over at Sakura, and he felt his heart sink a bit. Looking at the rosette, who had taken to glaring over at a tree, he said, "Sakura…I… Thank you."

He bowed down to her, eyes shut tightly, and she looked at him with surprise. "Naruto," she whispered, before sighing softly. "You idiot. We're in this together, remember? Besides, you didn't finish the jutsu, so it's all right. For the most part."

Naruto swallowed and a few moments passed before he said, "I'm also sorry. For…you know."

Shadows appeared in Sakura's eyes as she looked down at the blond, her mouth turning into a frown. "We'll discuss that at another time. But, for now, I suppose I forgive you. If you forgive me, that is."

Blue eyes rose up quickly to stare into Sakura's leaf-green ones, and a fox-like grin appeared on Naruto's face. "Of course, Sakura-chan!"

Looking over to look at Sasuke, he said excitedly, "She forgave me! Isn't that great?"

Sasuke looked from one teammate to another before sighing and turning away. "You're both idiots."

"Love you, too, Sasuke-chan!" the blond shot back, drawing out the last word. Sakura smiled softly, her white teeth glittering. Sasuke growled at Naruto, cracking his knuckles again. "You trying to get yourself killed, idiot?"

"Oh-! And what are you going to do to me, Sasuke-chan? Growl at me 'til I die?"

"That's it!" Sasuke exclaimed, bringing out two kunai. "The blond dies!"

The two boys were about to begin their spar when they heard a loud whistle soar through the area. Sasuke and Sakura looked over at Kakashi while Naruto clutched at his ears, muttering out profanities. The three walked over to where Kakashi and Tazuna were situated, Naruto still muttering out various profanities. The jounin crossed his arms over his chest, looking down at his students as he said, "Here's the situation: Tazuna-san, due to money shortages, gave false information for what should be a higher ranked mission. Because there ninja running after him, that automatically brings our mission up from a C-Rank to a B-Rank, which is way out of all of your leagues. So, as far as I'm concerned, we'll take him back as far as the Wave Country border, and then we're finished."

Naruto glanced over at Sakura, who raised her eyebrows slightly, before he looked over at Sasuke, who gave him a glare. "Yeah," he began, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, Kakashi-sensei. I don't feel like leaving the geezer to die if there happens to actually be someone after him. As far as _we're_ concerned, the mission won't be over until that bridge is done and over with."

"Oh?" Kakashi replied, looking at the blond. "And why do you say that, Naruto?"

Naruto opened his eyes slowly, their blue depths swirling with determination and strength. "I don't quit. This mission isn't over until that bridge is done."

"Agreed," said Sasuke, while Sakura just nodded softly. "Whatever ninjas there are," the raven-haired boy continued, "let them come. Rank be damned."

Tazuna looked at Kakashi with a pitiful expression, leading the jounin to sigh softly and say, "Fine."

Then, after the shinobi had come to an agreement over the technicalities, the rain began to fall.

* * *

Suirou no Jutsu – Water Prison Technique  
Shiki Fuujin – Dead Demon Consuming Seal  
Rasengan – Spiraling Sphere  
Chidori – One Thousand Birds  
Chuuzuri Hakkeshou Kaiten – Midair Eight Trigrams Palms Heavenly Spin  
Katon: Housenka no Jutsu – Fire Style: Mythical Fire Flower Technique

First completion: 3/18/2008 9:46:49 PM

* * *

All right, so, I'm still looking for a beta. The ones I've tried before aren't...cutting it. So, anyone want to raise their hand and volunteer? Also, I'm really sorry about this boring, boring chapter. The next part will get better though. Enter: Team Eight with Kurenai and Momochi Zabuza of the Mist!


	5. Chapter 5

So, yet another chapter has graced this site, and a somewhat long one, too. I've acquired a new beta editor, Kalisko, who has been helping along the way for this entire chapter. The better quality is more or less because of him. We've had our disagreements (boy, have we…), but overall, it's been a nice ride. Can't wait to work on more. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! As always, please read and review!

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs Masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

Previously on TT7:

The Time Traveler Four has finally informed Jounin Kurenai of the details of their passage through time. After enlisting in Team Eight's help, the C-Rank mission to the Country of the Waves began. After a quick battle with the Demon Brothers, the decision was asked for whether Team 7 wished to continue the mission. The mission progresses, and the rain intensifies.

* * *

Chapter Five

Sakura ran her hands through her very wet, long, pink hair, resolving right then and there to cut it as soon as she found the chance. Sliding off her hitai-ate, she shook her head violently from side to side, sending water flowing in small rivulets in all directions around her, much to the annoyance of Naruto standing right beside her. He glared at her, rubbing a hand across his face as he rid himself of extraneous water. She smiled softly at him in apology. Sighing, the blond forced out a breath in frustration as more and more droplets of water ran down his face. He felt compelled to send over a smirk at the other frustrated boy amongst their ranks, with the Uchiha's "duck-butt" hair falling down and framing his face. Sasuke glared at him as he, too, ran a hand through his hair.

They had just finished their boat ride from the Land of Fire to the small island of the Land of the Waves, with which they had endured what seemed to be an endless, heavy downpour of rain. The boat ride had been shaky and dangerous as the man who was steering them couldn't handle the ferocity of the ocean. Large waves had erupted around the tiny boat, making navigation all but impossible. Naruto had found himself in increasing situations where he desperately chose whether to stick to the boat using chakra, or whether to continue hiding himself and fall out of the boat. Towards the very end, none of them had had too much of a choice as one particular wave forced the boat to topside. Luckily, Kakashi had enough sense in him to save Tazuna and the rower, Mikishi, though carrying both had proved an annoying task.

Now, however, they were all walking towards Tazuna's village, though the rain hadn't let up in the slightest. The vessel looked back at Tazuna who was trailing behind them with Mikishi and Kakashi. Since the ride had been so miserable, what with the falling in the water and all, not much conversation had taken place; the jounin, bridge builder, and rower were more than likely discussing Tazuna's situation as they walked. That was what Naruto thought, anyway – not that he really cared one way or another. Turning to look back down the path, he cringed slightly as rain ran down his shirt, almost wishing he had his orange jacket for cover. He ran a hand through his hair again, the frustration within him rising ever so slightly. Speaking softly, he said, "Kurenai-sensei and Team Eight are due to meet us at the site. I'm not sure if they'll meet with us before or after we've engaged in battle with Zabuza."

"Honestly," Sakura interjected, "I'd rather they jump in after we start our fight."

Sasuke and Naruto looked at one another, each nodding slightly in agreement. "That might be best," Sasuke started slowly. "My question is how we're going to pull this off. Not like we can go and just slam Zabuza with a Chidori and a Rasengan."

Naruto was about to respond when the feeling of being watched ran down his spine, causing his eyes to widen slightly. When his two teammates looked at him simultaneously, he knew they had felt the feeling, too. Sliding his hand down into his kunai holder, he pulled out two, took a step backwards with his left foot, and slid around clockwise, his right foot sliding through the dirt as he launched the two kunai towards some vegetation to the team's left. The three men behind the genin were surprised at the sudden movement from the vessel, and Kakashi was about to step forward and demand an explanation when a hiss sounded out from the vegetation where Naruto had thrown his kunai. Sasuke and Sakura glanced at each other quickly, their eyes narrowed. After their silent conversation, they both looked at Naruto who looked over at the trees, his hands deep in his pockets as his mouth bore a frown.

The five people present watched while Kakashi threaded through the vegetation towards where Naruto's kunai had went. The silver-haired man frowned slightly upon finding a frightened, white hare, small droplets of blood, and a piece of torn, tan fabric. Picking up both the hare and the fabric, Kakashi walked back to where Naruto was and slammed a fist into his head. A sudden desire to strike back rose up in the Kyuubi vessel, though Naruto quickly forced it down, choosing to glare at the jounin instead.

"Next time you want to act cool," said Kakashi, pushing the white hare into Naruto's hands, along with the piece of fabric, "make sure you know what you're really aiming at."

He turned away from the blond to head back towards his client, though several thoughts raged through his mind: where did the white hare come from since it wasn't yet winter? From whom was that piece of fabric torn from? _The people that are targeting Tazuna_, he thought quickly, _seem to have appeared quicker than I expected._

Naruto scowled after the jounin, but turned to look at the fidgeting hare in his arms. Noticing something interesting, his right eyebrow rose as he let go of the hare and inspected the piece of fabric. Sakura and Sasuke moved closer to him to look at it as well, their own eyebrows lifting in confusion. "Hey," began Naruto, as a horrible thought came to him. "Doesn't this material look familiar, somehow?"

Sasuke took the fabric from the blond's hands and felt the texture of it. "It kind of feels like the fabric from Hinata's jacket. Kind of."

"Oh?" said Sakura, a grin growing on her face. "And how would you know how her jacket felt? Have you touched it _that_ much to the point of where you've memorized the feeling?"

Naruto grinned as he caught on, saying, "Wow, Sasuke. Doing the moves on our favorite Hyuuga girl! Never thought you had it in you!"

The Uchiha sputtered in embarrassment and indignation, but was saved from having to answer when a soft whistle went through the air. His eyes widened along with Naruto's and Sakura's as they all moved to hit the ground. Suddenly, Sasuke remembered their two tagalongs and quickly formed a cross seal as he said, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

The clone of Sasuke touched the ground softly before launching himself towards Mikishi, a tidal wave of mud erupting behind him. Sliding around the Mikishi, the clone pushed the man towards the ground just as a large sword raced over everyone's body. The sword cut Sasuke's clone into two and with a gasp of pain, it burst into smoke and vanished. Kakashi's one eye raced to meet Sasuke's, who pointedly ignored it in preference of looking over at their new enemy, though the latter felt slight trepidation while doing so.

Naruto stood up quickly, glaring over at the man who had suddenly appeared and stood standing on the sword which was now embedded into a tree. "So much for not showing any fancy stuff," muttered Naruto softly, but Sasuke managed to hear him. Giving the blond a glare, he lowered himself into a fighting stance.

Motioning for the two men to stay back, Kakashi moved forward towards the newcomer, making sure his stride was slow and casual. Coming within a short distance of the newcomer, he said, "Momochi Zabuza, right? An exiled ninja from the Kirigakure. Wasn't really sure if it was actually you, considering the weather today."

"Copy-nin Kakashi." A low laugh rumbled from his throat. "You are going to give that old man to me. Or, you will die."

"Which one?" Kakashi said, trying to buy time. "Since there's obviously two."

Zabuza eyes flashed dangerously for a moment, but then just as quickly returned to their original frosty state. "You can either hand the bridge builder to me now, or I can take him after I soil the ground with your blood. It's your choice." He jumped off his sword and effortlessly pulled it out of the tree. In one smooth motion, he clasped it into the sheath on his back. "I suggest you hand him over, now. You clearly don't know who you're dealing with."

"Huh," the Sharingan-wielder continued, reaching to pull up his hitai-ate and show his left Sharingan eye. "Sorry if I don't feel like doing that. Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura! Formation Charlie!"

Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Naruto, along with Sasuke and Sakura, made a triangular formation around the bridge builder and rower. Kakashi watched as Zabuza vanished and reappeared over a large lake in front of him, chakra causing the water to swirl around him violently. The copy-nin looked back and forth quickly as mist began to shroud the area and Zabuza's voice called out:

"Ninpou: Kirigakure no Jutsu."

Kakashi walked forward slowly, his eyes shifting to and fro as he scanned the area. Naruto's eyes narrowed slightly as heard Zabuza call out,

"Eight points. The larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular vein, collarbone, kidney, and heart… Which vital organ do you want to be struck first?"

Gritting his teeth, Kakashi formed the Ram seal quickly and expelled a flow of chakra, pushing the mist away as easily as wind. Thunder erupted in the area, and the jounin realized his range of vision had not lessened much more than originally. Seconds later, flashes of lightning ran through the sky, with bolts running and touching down right in front of where Naruto stood guard. The left over static electricity swirled around the blond, causing him to tense greatly. If at all possible, the rain began pouring even harder, with gusts of wind starting to pick up around the area. _These battle conditions_, thought Naruto, cornflower-blue eyes wide, _are nearly impossible to fight in! Why is this happening?_

Feeling an energy signature appear, Kakashi turned quickly to see a large ball of blue chakra spinning around in the air, deflecting Zabuza from his strike point. Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Kakashi, Tazuna, and Mikishi all looked up in the air with surprise, each hardly believing what they were seeing. Zabuza flipped in the air and slid back through the mud towards the lake where he crouched down, scowling at the floating ball of chakra. Slowly, the chakra ebbed away and in its place was a young woman, her lavender eyes narrowed as she spun in the air. Tilting her head back, she flipped backwards to land behind the genin and their clients, her sopping, short, midnight-blue hair clinging to her face as she landed. Standing up slowly, Hyuuga Hinata frowned at Zabuza, calling out, "Sorry, Zabuza-san. It won't be that simple."

Shocked, Hatake Kakashi stared at the girl, unable to believe she had just appeared out of nowhere, and with an entrance of an attack he had never seen in action. Naruto and Sakura stared at the Hyuuga, unable to believe their eyes. Sasuke smirked slightly, thinking, _So, team Eight is making their debut. About time._

He moved out of position when he saw her clutch her left side, wincing as she sank down to the ground. Moving towards her, he stopped as three other people appeared directly beside the girl. Yuuhi Kurenai, Aburame Shino, and Inuzuka Kiba looked over at him, the latter two with disinterest. Kiba moved to help aid the Hyuuga as Kurenai vanished and appeared next to Kakashi, her red eyes focused and intimidating. About to ask what was going on, Kakashi stopped when Kurenai looked him, her gaze unwavering. "Mind asking questions later, Kakashi-san?" she said, having to shout because of the storm. "I assure you, I will explain everything once we take care of Zabuza."

Nodding slightly, Kakashi turned to move forward along with Kurenai towards the missing-nin still crouching on the lake. Zabuza narrowed his eyes at the two Konoha jounin, finding himself at bad odds. Pursing his lips behind his bandages, he gave two small whistles, and within seconds, another person was standing next to him. Kurenai's eyes narrowed slightly as she took in the new person's appearance, identifying him as the "Haku" Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto had told her about. _He's so young! I thought those three were spinning tales!_

Kakashi, realizing the stakes had just been upped, moved into an offensive position, while Kurenai's hands flashed into various seals. The four people on the lake vanished from Kiba and Shino's vision, each boy wondering what was going on. They turned back to see Sasuke nurturing a wounded Hinata while the storm raged around them. Kiba turned to Naruto whose eyes appeared to be flicking back and forth as he looked over at the lake.

"What the hell is going on?" shouted Kiba, his voice nearly drowned out by the roar of the winds. "One day we're in Konoha, thinking about doing another D-mission, and the next, Kurenai-sensei's hauling us out here for reconnaissance!"

Naruto turned his glare onto the other boy, his eyes glowing as he yelled out, "This isn't the time! Watch over the client! You, too, Shino!" he barked out at the other boy.

Wincing when the wind turned the rain towards his face, Naruto brushed a hand over his face, yelling out, "What the hell kind of storm is this!"

"It's a typhoon," came the answer, as Sakura moved close to him. She shouted, "This is a small island surrounded by water – and we just happened to get caught up into a storm turned typhoon. It's low-key though, so it shouldn't be blowing us off the face of the earth anytime soon…but I would try to stay on the ground as much as possible."

The vessel's eyes widened, but quickly narrowed when he saw Shino and Kiba still standing around doing nothing. "I gave you two orders!" he shouted angrily. "Do as I said!"

Taken aback, the dog-boy and bug-boy looked at each other before running to move to Tazuna and Mikishi's sides. Sasuke helped Hinata stand slowly while she still gripped her side. Her eyes opened slightly and she turned to glare at Naruto, much to his chagrin and confusion. "You just _had_ to throw the extra kunai, _didn't you_!" she yelled at the boy, her teeth gritted. Naruto stared at her with disbelief before the color drained from his face. "I didn't mean to hurt you, Hinata! I'm really sorry – I thought it was Zabuza!"

Hinata shook her head, sighing as she shouted out, "It's fine, it's fine. I was just bitter. I'm out of this fight anyway – the Chuuzuri Hakkeshou Kaiten drained my chakra completely. The most I can do now is just help Kiba and Shino guard the client. You three, however, need to go help Kurenai-sensei and Kakashi-sensei!"

"Will you be okay by yourself?" asked Sasuke, frowning at the girl. She gave him a small grin and softly kissed his cheek, much to everyone's surprise. "I'll be fine," she continued. "Now, go!"

Sasuke and Naruto gave her one last look before passing Sakura and racing towards the lake. Sakura stood her ground in front of Hinata, leaf-green eyes narrowed. "Lay down," she commanded, "so I can heal you."

Hinata stared at her before shaking her head. "No, conserve your chakra – I'll be fine. Go help the boys!"

Sakura grasped Hinata's shoulder, and pushed down hard, causing the Hyuuga to go plummeting to the ground, gasping as pain struck her. As Sakura knelt down next to the other girl, Kiba and Shino watched in awe as she held her hands over Hinata's wound and as green chakra slowly crept out of Sakura's hands. Sakura grimaced slightly – she didn't have very much chakra to do too much healing yet, but this injury would be well within her abilities. Hinata stared at her from where she lay on the ground, sweat intermingling with rain as she forced herself to remain still. She felt the mud encase her, but relaxed slowly when the pain began to ease. Sakura sighed slightly as she reached behind her into her medical belt for gauze. She gave the boys a sharp glare which caused them to turn away quickly before pushing up Hinata's jacket and shirt. Making the Ram seal, she allowed her chakra to provide a type of cover from the rain and mud as she wrapped the gauze around Hinata's stomach.

Forcing herself back to consciousness, Hinata pushed herself up slowly, pushing down her jacket as she went. Sakura patted Hinata's shoulder a couple of times before rising up and giving a half-wave as she said, "This should be enough for now – I'll heal your scar tissue when we finish this battle, so hang tight until we finish up."

"Thanks, Sakura," Hinata said softly, before realizing Sakura probably couldn't hear her due to the storm. Sakura stared down at her with a frown before it turned into a soft smile as she nodded her acceptance. Tilting her chin up slightly as a method of farewell, she ran over towards the lake, bypassing Shino and Kiba with a trail of wind and mud erupting up in her wake. The two boys stared after the rosette, each with his eyes wide, and Tazuna and Mikishi were not in any better of a condition. Kiba swallowed deeply, feeling his body tremble at the speed Sakura had just displayed.

"Hey, Shino?" he asked, his voice raised. The other boy turned to look at him, ever so silent. Kiba looked towards the other boy, hands shaking as he asked, "Was Sakura always able to do that? I didn't know she could heal and run like that… Was she always so strong?"

Shino didn't have an answer he could say with good faith, so he instead said nothing and faced forward to look at the battle ensuing ahead, though he couldn't really depict anything. From where she sat, Hinata's eyes were shadowed as she looked from one of her teammates to the other. Standing up slowly, though her pain had already eased long before, she stared ahead in the direction of the lake. Her short hair waved about endlessly, faint marks appearing and receding as the tendrils whipped against her skin. Frowning slightly, she ignored the pain and her mouth tightened.

They were losing.

* * *

Naruto slid across the water, baring his teeth as he glared at the Mizu Bunshin of Zabuza, finding himself feeling increasingly irritated as the Bunshin continued to evade his hits. Looking to his right, he found Sasuke having a similar problem, and he cursed. They were faster than before, had more insight than before, had more people than before, but were still losing, like before! Thinking of them as annoying brats, Zabuza had immediately unleashed a stockpile of Mizu Bunshins, with which he, Sasuke, and now Sakura, were still fighting. His blue eyes shifted to glare over at where Kakashi was fighting against Zabuza, and where Kurenai was fighting Haku. Kakashi had already been using the Sharingan for ten minutes, and was bound to soon become exhausted, where Kurenai was having trouble keeping up her energy for a high speed battle. As Naruto ducked under the Mizu Bunshin's sword, named the Kubikiri Houchou, he raced forward and slammed his kunai into the stomach of the clone. Water spilled out of the clone before it collapsed completely, though Naruto was sent back further from the main battle as two more clones advanced on him. He felt frustration and anger run through his veins and dashed towards them in a rage.

Not too far away from where Naruto waged his battle, Sasuke slid around the lake, dashing across and around large waves like a trained acrobat as he sped towards his targets. His red Sharingan eyes, complete with his spinning three tomoe, flashed through the darkness of the storm as he blazed near his enemies. Jumping off one stray wave, he spun around in a tight circle while bringing out two fuuma shuriken and throwing them down at the three clones he was up against. Smirking as he saw them go towards their targets, he gritted his teeth tightly when two people jumped in the way and splashed down into the water. Completely stunned, Sasuke just barely noticed that his large shuriken had been deflected and sent back to him. _Shit_! he thought quickly, as he avoided one midair, but got hit with the other. _What_, Sasuke thought, his eyes widening as pain shot through his right shoulder the shuriken had embedded itself in, _stopped my attack?_

He heard a cry come from the direction Naruto was located, and he painstakingly turned his head over to look. Just before he hit the water, Sasuke saw Naruto get sliced up by several senbon. Hitting the barrier of the water hard, Sasuke felt himself fall downward, his hair floating around him as he opened his blood-red eyes. Air escaped from his lungs as he was quickly alerted to oncoming presences, and he pushed himself to look around him. The first thing he felt was the slicing of his skin from small, sharp object, and he let out a yell of pain. Turning awkwardly in the water, his eyes widened when he saw four people racing towards him: two Mizu Bunshin of Zabuza…and two clones of Haku. Sasuke shifted backward slightly before racing towards the surface, his lungs burning as he forced himself to go faster, and faster, and faster. Upon breaking the surface, Sasuke gathered energy into his hands and feet, and sped forward, hearing the breaking of the surface from the enemies behind him. He slid around on the rough ridges of the waves, before again screaming as he felt something slice through him.

"_Ah!_"

Naruto rose up from the water, his wet, golden-blond hair falling around his face and hiding parts of his eyes as he glared over at the clones he was fighting. His eyes flickered from cornflower-blue to fiery-red and back again. Controlling his anger as he fought to keep from releasing one of the two Kyuubi's chakra, Naruto breathed in and out hard. Though he hadn't used any major attacks just yet, keeping afloat on the angry waves of the lake proved tiresome and taxing on his chakra supply. "That's it," he growled out, lifting his hands to form a cross seal with his index and middle fingers on both hands. His teeth tightened as blue chakra swirled around him and caused a small whirlpool to swirl around him. "You bastards," he yelled out at the three Zabuza and two Haku facing him, "are _dead_!

"_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!_"

Just as nineteen Bunshin surrounded him, he heard Sasuke's scream, feelings of panic and unmasked horror running through his mind. Naruto turned around quickly, eyes wide as he saw Sasuke fly through the air and slide into the water. Body trembling slightly, he suddenly felt himself grow calm and turned to face his opponents, his eyes a deep red. Naruto narrowed them slightly as a burst of red chakra suddenly flared up around him. If he noticed the white, unearthly glow around him, he might have stopped to reconsider his actions, but having taken no notice of it, Naruto again sped towards his opponents. He didn't notice someone come running towards him.

Sakura reached the water just in time to watch her fiancé begin to glow a red color from his chakra, before a borderline of white curved around him. Surprised and more than a little disturbed, she caught a small glow in her peripheral vision and glanced over to another side of the lake where a white light was shining through the water. Surprised ever further, she looked down at herself to see the same white light glinting around her. Footfalls behind her had her turning to look at a slightly out of breath Hinata, the latter also with a white line gleaming from around her. Hinata's pale eyes flashed over to look at her, her eyes bearing the question Sakura held: what was that white light?

As soon as Naruto gathered up chakra for a purplish-colored Rasengan, Sakura felt pain strike her from the inside out, and felt as if another presence was trying to take over her mind. She fell down to her knees on the water, and from some rational point in her mind, took notice as Hinata fell to the ground in a similar fashion. Her leaf-green eyes widened slightly as she felt pain race through her torso and limbs, feeling like strings of fire had been sent raging through her veins. When the fire soared around sensitive organs in her body, she couldn't help but release a horrifying scream, as she fell through the water and sank, alongside with Hinata hitting the ground completely and not rising again.

Naruto turned his eyes to look over at the space of water Sakura had just occupied, holding a kunai in his left hand as his Rasengan slowly dispersed. He urged his small troop of clones forward to finish off his enemies as his eyes began flickering from a dark, fiery-red to his normal cornflower-blue. Naruto felt his heart sink as he noticed Sakura was gone from his sight. Glancing around him at the now nearly empty lake, except for where Kakashi and Kurenai waged their battle on the other side, he measured the danger to be nothing short of nil. He sent the remainder of his clones, a measly count of three, to the other side of the lake where Sasuke had sunk under, and just as he was about to dash underwater to get Sakura, he felt a pain run through his chest. Grunting slightly, he stood up straight and clutched at his the front of his now torn V-neck shirt, eyes narrowed as he tried to understand what had happened. He felt the pain ebb away, and wondered if he had just imagined it. Turning again to go save Sakura, he felt a burst of fire race through his body threefold and he sank down to one knee as he clutched at his chest, his mouth open in a silent scream.

Pain began to also cloud around his head, and Naruto noticed offhand one of his clones running towards land carrying an unconscious Sasuke, and another one diving down to get Sakura. With his right hand clutching at his head and his left clutching at his chest, Naruto felt the pain began to take over him, and he let out a piercing cry, his eyes wide with fear and confusion. A spasm went through the vessel as he fell to his other knee on the water, barely able to keep himself conscious on the horrendous waves. Forcing his gaze up, he noticed with blurry vision as his second clone dragged Sakura to land and came to aid him, along with the other two clones. The three clones pulled at him, and moved him across the water as he felt his chakra control begin to slip. Just as he was about to slide down into the water, his clones tossed him over onto land, and he rolled through the mud, sliding until friction finally stopped him.

Naruto clutched at his stomach as he laid facedown in the mud, his body convulsing slightly as the pain grew more and more. From afar, Shino and Kiba noticed with disbelief as the, in their minds, super powerful Naruto convulsed on the ground. It was Kiba who moved forward first, charging towards the four people lying on the ground, his mind having already forgotten his assigned task. Sliding in the mud as he struggled to come to a stop, he bent down to check on Hinata first, panicking slightly when he felt a weak pulse. Though she was unconscious, her face was contorted with pain, and upon checking Sasuke and Sakura, found their conditions to be much the same. Turning slowly to look at Naruto, Kiba pushed down his fear and walked over to the seemingly struggling blond, placing a hand gently on the vessel's shoulder.

Not having felt Kiba's touch at all, Naruto moved to clutch his head, the pain splitting him apart. "Argh," he groaned, eyes closed tightly as he convulsed. "G-get out my head…leave me alone…"

"Naruto?" asked Kiba, concern rushing through his mind as reached down to touch the blond again. Just then, as he was about to do so, a rush of white chakra ran around Naruto, spiraling around his and Kiba's body and pushing back the mud in waves. "Don't…" began Naruto, his eyes wide as he pushed himself onto all fours. "Don't…"

The white chakra burst into glittering white flames in front of Kiba, Shino, Tazuna, and Mikishi's eyes, each gazing up at it with frightful wonder. The chakra raced across the mud and threw Kiba into the air towards the lake where he hit the water flailing; his dog, Akamaru moved out of Kiba's jacket and bit down on Kiba's jacket as the boy moved to the surface. His eyes widened even more as the white chakra flew around Naruto, his eyes a glittering blue. "Don't…" Naruto started again, as the chakra grew in more proportion and swept across the land to knock back a surprised Shino, Tazuna, and Mikishi.

"_Don't screw with me!_"

The white chakra roared up towards the sky before slowly dissipating and leaving an exhausted Naruto in its wake. Slowly, Naruto felt the pain in his head disappear, as well as the pain in his body, and he looked over towards where Tazuna was positioned, his breathing labored and unsteady. Gritting his teeth, he rose to his feet and looked back behind him towards where his friends were. Aside of an angry, even more thoroughly soaked Kiba, and three exhausted time traveler friends, as well as a safe client, nothing was amiss. As Naruto moved to walk towards Tazuna, his bangs falling over his hitai-ate as he trudged along, he felt a sharp presence make itself known. He turned his body around slowly, his eyes moving to look back at the lake, when the angry eyes of Zabuza raced by him. His eyes widened in shock, he stood unmoving as Zabuza ran past him towards Tazuna.

A cry made its way towards his ears:

"No, Zabuza, _don't_!"

* * *

Ever since they had received the stupid mission due to Naruto's whining, Kakashi had felt something oddly bizarre about the entire thing. Even though his genin team may have completed several D-Rank missions, they were not yet credible enough to take on a C-Rank. However, far be it from him to turn the Hokage's judgment aside and ask for something more suitable. Pervert he may have been, as well as tardy and lazy, but disloyal and ungrateful he would never be. That day, that fateful day, Kakashi had nodded his consent to the Sandaime as a loyal soldier would do, and the next day, they had begun the mission.

All in all, it had started off well enough. Naruto had, praise the Gods, been quiet and patient even when the client threw insults at him, Sasuke had been his normal, quiet self with the addition of his throwing glares randomly at the client, while Sakura had been the lifesaver and kept the peace between everyone; he swore he saw her shoot a few malicious glares at Tazuna as well, though. Kakashi had begun to think everything was going along fine, and that maybe his suspicions were just that and nothing more…until the Demon Brothers had shown up.

After a superbly impressive display of instinctual fighting on Sasuke's part, and a good amount of hesitation on Naruto's, Kakashi had ended the battle quickly and easily. His suspicions had, unfortunately, been warranted and he had turned his gaze onto the client, asking to speak to him. What he learned next rocked his world and he found himself faced with a horrible understanding of the situation: in a small seaside town on the island of the Land of the Waves, a man named Gatoh had taken control of the every shipping route and effectively cut the island off from the rest of the world. Due to the loss of the trading systems, exports and imports were brought to a halt, and whatever money was left through the small government was quickly embezzled by the greedy businessman. With finding out who was sending the assassins, Kakashi found himself in a tight situation – abandon the mission, or continue while putting his newly attained, cute, little genin at risk?

Even though the mission had been pushed up to a B-Ranked one, he found his genin unyielding in their wish to continue the mission. Of course, what could he do but give consent and continue the journey along with them? It seemed this had been his undoing.

Only seconds later, the horrendous storm had begun, making their trip across the water by boat towards the island hazardous at best. However, it was what happened thirty minutes later that made him feel like the mission was hell on Earth: Momochi Zabuza appeared. Though he had been able to disperse the sudden mist Zabuza had called upon, Kakashi wasn't fast enough to stop Zabuza when the man had raced towards his client, wielding his large sword. That was when he received another shock to his system:

Right before Zabuza had reached the group, a large, glowing ball of blue chakra had appeared in front of him, throwing Zabuza back. To his greater surprise, the chakra slowly dissipated to reveal the young Hyuuga heiress spinning in the air before she did a back flip and landed on the ground behind his genin.

She had fallen after that, her hand clutching her side, and then the rest of Team Eight had appeared, Yuuhi Kurenai included. She had appeared next to him, yelling words of, "Mind asking questions later, Kakashi-san? I assure you, I will explain everything once we take care of Zabuza," through the storm. It had appeared that everything was testing his patience and loyalty at that point. He had nodded, though confused and annoyed, and walked forward with her towards the lake where Zabuza crouched, determined to gather answers later. No sooner had they reached the lake when a young person – male, female, they couldn't tell – appeared next to Zabuza, the mask of a hunter-nin hiding the face.

"Meet my assistant," Zabuza had cowed. "Though he may be young, do not underestimate him, Kakashi," he had continued, glaring at the man before moving his gaze over to Kurenai, "nor you, newbie."

A spike of killing intent had radiated from Kurenai and he saw her resolve tighten. Within a flash, the hunter-nin boy and Zabuza had ran away across the lake, and it was then when Kakashi and Kurenai had bore their weapons and headed out with the full intent to kill the missing-nin and his student.

Now, nearly thirty minutes later, after Naruto and Sasuke had decided to join the battle, Kakashi found himself understanding the high bounty on Zabuza's head, as he was losing chakra at a rate far higher than he was dealing out damage. He had needed to stop using the Sharingan as every time he tried to copy Zabuza's jutsu, or predict the man's intentions, Zabuza's assistant would somehow get past Kurenai and attack him with ice-type jutsu. The silver-haired jounin took in a deep breath, his one midnight-grey eye opening slowly as he stared across the madly turning waters. Kakashi straightened his frame until he stood at full height, his eye still staring over at Zabuza. The latter gave a smirk from beneath his bandages and dashed forward towards Kakashi.

The Konoha Jounin jumped back, bringing his hands up as he flashed through seals and yelled out, "Chidori!" as he clapped his left hand over his right wrist, his right hand glowing as lightning formed a ball in it. Kakashi crouched down slowly on the water as Zabuza approached him before he pushed chakra out from under his feet and raced towards his enemy. He felt another presence come near and yelled out,

"Keep track of your target, _Kurenai_!"

* * *

At the beginning, she had thought she could handle some no-name kid holding a penchant for his death, but as soon as the battle had started, she found she was struggling. Kurenai flipped up a kunai in her right hand as she blocked senbon after senbon, her eyes shifting to and fro as she noticed more and more senbon fly at her. Whipping her long, drenched, black tendrils of hair out of her face, Kurenai ducked under a few more senbon and hit the surface of the water with a roll. Standing up quickly, she held her kunai in front of her, the four-edged, pointed knife glinting through the rain. The boy, Haku, stared at her through his mask as he readied more senbon to throw at her.

_Again with the senbon_, she thought, annoyed as she went through the task of blocking more and more of the sharp needles. Though she wished to say otherwise, there wasn't much more she could do in her situation – her genjutsu was useless unless she concentrated, and with the storm as it was, there was no chance of that happening anytime soon; in addition, her taijutsu and ninjutsu were nothing short of abominable, and her speed wasn't enough to impress a turtle. Gritting her teeth as she dodged out of the way of another ice-type jutsu, Kurenai glared up at the boy staring at her. "You…" she started, before gasping as he suddenly vanished.

Her ire increased dramatically when the boy was kicked back by Kakashi, for the third time, and she found herself tightening her muscles to the point of pain. Closing her eyes, the genjutsu specialist stood slowly from the water and then opened her eyes slowly, focusing again on her target. Her lips thinned as she swept through seals, focusing her chakra to gather in her legs in feet. Almost surprised she had not been attacked in the entire time of her doing the procedure, Kurenai looked over at Haku again, frowning. He was still looking at her patiently, as if he had all the time in the world.

"You are a jounin?" Haku asked, his voice somehow carrying through the storm. Kurenai narrowed her eyes slightly, shifting to look at the boy fully. "I am," she responded. "What does this matter?"

"A genjutsu specialist, aren't you?"

Reaching for patience she didn't know she still had, Kurenai clutched her kunai in her hand. "Again, I am."

"You," he continued, adapting a fighting stance, "are weak. I will waste no more time with you – prepare to die."

Kurenai's eyes widened as the boy suddenly sped towards her, and just as she was about to be pierced through her chest with a senbon, the sound of a thousand birds calling out made its way to her ears. She didn't bother to look over upon hearing the sound, though she was stunned when Haku suddenly stopped in the middle of his attack and turned to look at Kakashi and Zabuza's fight. He looked at Kurenai, gave her a nod, and sped off towards the other battle. Unsure of whether she was lucky, or just too weak to bother completely with, she took in a deep breath and raced over to where Kakashi was fighting. She pushed herself off the surface of the water hard, her eyes zeroed in on where Kakashi was racing towards Zabuza with an empowered Chidori. As Haku neared Kakashi for a fourth time, Kurenai jumped forward on the water, and pushed her chakra under her feet to raise her soaring high into the sky. Taking out another kunai, she swirled each one in her hands, the edges cutting through the wind with small whispers. When Kakashi kicked back Haku for what would seemingly be the last time, yelling, "Keep track of your target, _Kurenai_!" she was ready.

"Your battle," she yelled out, soaring down to where she mentally calculated Haku would land at, "is with _me_!"

Haku, his mask unable to reveal his widening eyes, looked up to see Kurenai plunge down on him, her kunai digging into his arms. Growling out his pain, Haku detached himself from the woman, and did a backwards spin, his right leg thrown out to hit her across her chest. The kick threw Kurenai flying into a backwards, midair somersault, leaving her to make an unsteady landing while holding a hand to her chest as she breathed in and out slowly. She straightened stiffly when she felt someone bump into her, but relaxed slightly when she found out it was Kakashi right beside her. The man moved his head towards her, though his eye was still carefully trained on Zabuza.

"I've lost too many chances to strike because of your incapability, Kurenai. Why haven't you handled that kid yet?" he whispered to her harshly.

"I'm a genjutsu specialist, and my attacks require concentration," she shot back, red eyes glowing with affronted anger. "I can't concentrate even a second with this kid, even if only to just knock him unconscious. Let's switch opponents – I can definitely do something against a slow attacker like Zabuza. You take the kid – your Chidori should be able to do something. Your speed and technique outmatch his."

"Whatever," Kakashi murmured, lifting his head slightly. "I'll kill the kid. Take care of Zabuza."

"Yes, _sir_," Kurenai muttered out sarcastically, racing around Kakashi to head towards Zabuza. Kakashi watched her go and offhandedly raised a kunai to bat away several senbon. Turning to look at Haku, he frowned, saying, "You're really beginning to annoy me, kid. Let's end this quickly, okay?"

Haku shifted back slightly, but then readied more senbon and sent them flying at Kakashi. Kakashi chuckled before batting away the other senbon, and racing towards Haku. Surprised at the man's speed, Haku stood unmoving as Kakashi came within a few feet of him. The boy's eyes shifted to see a whitish-blue chakra gather in the man's right hand, crackling like bolts of lightning. _Quick_, was the last thought running through Haku's mind as he barely shifted his center of balance. Kakashi ran his Chidori through the boy's chest, letting out a small sound of annoyance when he saw the boy had moved enough to keep the blow from being instantly fatal. Haku felt pain race through chest, the small lightning bolts hitting his skin and feeling like strips of fire. The jounin pulled his fist out, watching as the boy fell backwards slowly and sank into the water.

"Kurenai couldn't even beat this little boy…" he murmured, crouching to wash his bloody hand in the water. "Was it really a good thing to give her that jounin rank so early?"

He raised his eyes to look across the water, frowning when he saw Sasuke fall down into the water, clones of Zabuza and Haku standing around him. Wait a minute, Haku clones? Kakashi narrowed his right eye at the aforementioned clones, thoughts racing through his head. "Those should have dissipated, so why are they still there?"

In the violent rain and wind, a small splash of water seemed out of place and immediately alerted the man to someone behind him, and he turned quickly to see a bloodied Haku staring at him, the face mask gone. "You!" exclaimed Kakashi, surprised as he jumped back away from the living corpse. "How can you still be standing?"

Kakashi noticed the early stage of Haku's healing skin and his eyes narrowed quickly. _Did he heal himself somehow?_

"I will…" said the boy, his voice barely a whisper in the storm, "be of use to Zabuza-sama. You will not stop me, Sharingan Kakashi-san."

As soon as Kakashi pulled out his kunai again, he saw Haku turning around and running the other way, towards Kurenai and Zabuza. Surprised again, Kakashi sped forward, leaping to grab a hold of Haku's ankle. Haku kicked back Kakashi's hand, his eyes glittering dangerously. "Don't hinder me!"

"Just give up already!" shouted Kakashi in return, reaching again. Haku spun around, slamming three senbon into Kakashi's right shoulder. "Do not hinder me!"

"Ah!" yelled the jounin, losing his grip on the boy and hitting the water. He glared up at Haku, who turned tail and ran. "Damn it," he muttered, knowing he would never be able to catch up in time. Raising his voice, Kakashi shouted: "Kurenai! Watch out for Haku!"

* * *

As soon as Kurenai had switched opponents, she knew it had probably been their best idea and had turned the tides in their favor. She smiled softly, blood-red eyes gleaming as she again dodged another swipe of Zabuza's large blade. Kurenai formed a cross seal and three clones appeared, the third taking her place as she dematerialized and appeared in a nearby tree. Zabuza raced towards the clones, intent on finding the real one quickly.

"I'll make this quick," she whispered, "Magen: Jubaku Satsu!"

As she gathered behind the unknowing Zabuza, rising with her kunai to strike his neck with a quick slash, Kurenai gasped when the man fell apart into a wave of water in front of her. Staring at the now empty space in front of her, she was surprised to hear,

"Thanks for making that quick, woman. Now, let _me_ make _this_ one quick!"

Kurenai turned slightly to see Zabuza pull back his Kubikiri Houchou sword in a wide arc, his black eyes glaring straight into her own blood-red ones. Making a dire mistake, she made a small noise of disbelief and hesitated, her mind having blanked completely. Zabuza lifted a leg and threw his foot straight out at her, allowing it to sink into her solar plexus and send her zooming across the raging lake. Her breath hitched as her eyes widened while she flew through the air. She didn't notice Haku run around her and it was only after she became slightly aware of her surrounding that she felt two more kicks into her stomach. Pain clouded her mind and she barely felt herself ram into something that felt like a wall before it gave way, sending her and it skidding across the surface of the water, and eventually sinking.

Kakashi grunted, air bubbles rising from his mouth and racing to the water's surface from where he floated, Kurenai wincing beside him. Pulling on her flak jacket, he helped her to the surface, breaking through and searching around him for the targets. Kurenai coughed violently, but managed to stay afloat on her own. Kakashi pushed himself onto the surface, his grasping at what little chakra he had left. Zabuza grinned maliciously at the two jounin, directing Haku to watch over them.

"Sorry kiddies," he said darkly, chuckling all the while. "I've got a bridge builder to take care of!"

Kurenai forced her eyes open as she pushed herself onto the water's surface, still coughing as violently as before. "No, Zabuza," she wheezed out hoarsely. "I can't let you… Kakashi and I won't let you get that far."

Zabuza looked over at Haku, making a single gesture, and saying, "Keep those two occupied. Do your duty to me."

"Yes, Zabuza-sama," came the expected reply. Haku's eyes shifted to look at the two Konoha jounin, their black depths like dark arctic plains. His shoulders straightened as he took on an offensive posture, and before the two jounin could react, he was behind them. He reached forward under Kurenai's arms and gripped her tightly.

Kurenai stumbled slightly in Haku's grip as Zabuza turned to face the lake's edge. "No, Zabuza, you can't! Please, you can't do this!"

She watched in horror as the man sped forward, and struggled when Haku held her back in a tight grip. "Let me go, damn it! Let me go! Zabuza!"

"Kurenai," whispered Kakashi from where he sat on the lake, breathing in and out shakily. His energy supply was now close to nil. "Kurenai…"

As a last effort as she watched the nuke-nin race away, she screamed,

"No, Zabuza, _don't_!"

* * *

Naruto heard the cry and turned around slowly as Zabuza raced past him, the wind knocking him back to the ground as he stared. He groaned as he pushed himself up, shouting,

"_Shino_! Execute maneuver Alpha Beta Phi!"

Shino, surprised but efficient to a fault, moved in front of the oncoming Zabuza, holding his kunai in front of him as bugs began to filter from his body. Zabuza took no notice of him as he did a feint to the right, large sword raised high. Kiba and Naruto stared over at Shino as he moved to his left and threw a kunai at Zabuza, which was easily deflected. The man, however, had not counted on a hoard of Kikaichuu insects racing towards him and latching on. Surprised, and more than a little confused, Zabuza hurriedly moved to brush off the bugs, crushing some between his fingers. Shino's eyes narrowed behind his round sunglasses, and he readied a second kunai, maintaining his position in front of Tazuna and Mikishi. Zabuza, completely distracted from dealing with the Kikaichuu bugs, didn't notice an illusionary clone of Shino come upon him until the clone was within a few inches of him. As the man reached to raise his sword to cut the clone through, he grunted when he found he could barely lift the large sword. His confusion and frustration were apparent as he yelled out,

"What the hell!"

By this time, Kiba, Akamaru, and even Naruto had managed to reach Zabuza and Shino, with the former two jumping up and doing a diving kick at Zabuza's head. Naruto followed up with a hard crescent moon kick, before he ducked down and slid his leg in a wide arc over the mud, causing Zabuza to fall hard. Shino raised his hands towards his Kikaichuu bugs, his commands silent and calm, and the bugs returned to him without further question. Naruto, now nearly depleted of chakra, charged around Zabuza; he picked the man up by the shirt, the latter still surprised by the amount of resistance he was facing, but quickly gaining his wits back.

"Naruto!" came a shout, and the blond moved his eyes to glance over at a slowly rising Sakura, her leaf-green eyes piercing. She slowly raised her right fist, blue chakra shimmering all around it, and Naruto nodded slightly. He summoned one last clone, and with its help, kicked Zabuza into the air. The nearly chakra-depleted Zabuza glared down at the blond, though his movements were too slow to stop the next attack: Naruto jumped back some distance, turned around to face the opposite direction, and began doing successive hand springs towards the man as the latter fell towards the ground. As soon as he reached a suitable speed, Naruto pushed off his hands hard and his feet flew through the air to connect with Zabuza's anterior. The hard kick sent the man flying towards where Sakura waited patiently, her fist drawn back tightly. She took a step forward and slammed her chakra-invested fist into the back of Zabuza, her eyes narrowed and glowing brightly as she pushed forward with all her might.

She heard a loud crack as her fist sank in deeply, and Zabuza's hoarse yell of pain rang throughout the area. As soon as Naruto was about to race forward for one last hit, he was tackled aside by the young man named Haku. The blond hit the ground hard on his right shoulder, grunting slightly as he rolled onto his stomach. Kiba and Shino called out his name, each fearing the worst. Sakura looked first from Naruto to Haku readying another battle stance. Haku shook his head from where he held Zabuza's arm over his shoulder. "You've won this battle, Konoha. However, don't for one second believe this is over."

He turned to move away, but hesitated, whispering softly, "For what it's worth, I'm sorry this had to happen," before vanishing.

Sakura lowered her fists, her breath coming in and out shakily, and she noticed Hinata and Sasuke looking at the battle site, with the former looking exhausted and the latter breathing in and out sporadically. Sinking to her knees, she realized she couldn't move at all, and her eyes were wide with disbelief. The other two looked at her silently, but each and every one of them, including Shino and Kiba, stared over at where a shaking Naruto was. The blond, cradling his right shoulder, pushed himself to his knees, but could rise no further than that. He turned his gaze to look over at Sakura and Sasuke, his cornflower-blue eyes saddened and dull. "Too…strong," he muttered softly to himself.

Each genin, along with Tazuna and Mikishi, glanced over at the lake's edge as Kakashi and Kurenai walked slowly onto land. Naruto gritted his teeth as he stared over at the two jounin, but found his chakra had finally depleted itself. He, along with Sakura, slipped down to the ground, seemingly unconscious. Kurenai fell out of Kakashi's grip and hit the mud, the rain pouring down on her face as she fell into unconsciousness as well. The last remaining jounin sighed, picking the other jounin up and setting her on his back, carrying her that way. Walking slowly towards Tazuna, he asked with some hesitance, "Do you have someplace we can rest, by chance?"

Tazuna stared first at Kakashi, then Mikishi, and then back at Kakashi. "Yes, of course. I've a place. Just…follow me."

Shino and Kiba moved to carry Naruto, while an exhausted Sasuke and Hinata moved to help with Sakura. All the ninjas followed the two civilians to their rest spot.

* * *

The first thing he saw was a mass number of pipes running down the length of the long corridor he was in. The dim, yellow light cast a shadow on his face and he stared over towards his right, seeing a never-ending passageway. He looked forward and to his left, but was given no indication as to where his furry friend was. Shrugging, he moved forward at a slight jog, taking note that his exhaustion from before was completely nonexistent. Seeing the large cage, Naruto grinned slightly, and slid to a halt in a massive puddle of water right in front of it. He noticed that, like his last trip to visit the Kyuubi, the cage was now twice as big – enough to house the future and present Kyuubi – as well as being adorned with a far smaller cage where his present personality existed. Two blue eyes popped open to look at Naruto from the other side of the smaller cage, and a young, twelve-year-old version of him came to grasp the bars of the cage. Naruto grimaced when he saw his past self wearing the orange abomination he had worn up until he'd been almost fourteen. Was this one as loud as he had been in the past?

The younger Naruto opened his mouth and shouted, "Hey! You look just like me, except you're older looking! Let me out! Let me out! I don't like those things next to me! What are they? Let me out!"

Naruto clapped his hands over his ears, eyes wide as he stared incredulously over at the younger blond. Frowning at the older comment, and muttering, "Yeah, he's just as loud," he looked down at himself. Noticing that he was wearing the exact same clothing he'd worn before he, Hinata, Sasuke, and Sakura had gone to fight the final battle with Pein, he also noticed he was the same age as then as well. "Hell yes," he murmured. "I look totally kick-ass again! Rock on."

He glanced up at his younger self, readying himself to say something, when a foul-looking chakra began to seep out from underneath the nearest part of the larger cage. Frowning at the chakra, he moved forward, ignoring the midget constantly shouting for him. Walking straight through the red chakra, he paused five feet away, eyes narrowed.

"Kyuubi. Which one?"

A bright, red eye popped open to look down at Naruto, with large, white teeth appearing a second later. "Who else, brat," came the deep voice full of malice. "You've done quite a number on your body, and thanks to you, your look-alike woke up. Mind taking care of him before _he_ wakes up?"

Naruto looked at his past self, and began cracking his knuckles. "I'll just kill him and steal the chakra. Kind of need it, anyway. Not like I need him around to save the future, and his chakra would be pretty handy to have around. Hey, maybe I'll be able to kill off Orochimaru from the very start with that much; what do you think?"

The twelve-year-old Naruto looked petrified at the thought, but was saved when Kyuubi shouted, "No, you _fool_!"

Both blonds, taken aback, stared up at the future Kyuubi. Naruto tilted his head slightly, a frown on his face. "What's up? I can't use your chakra – his works just as well."

"An idiot like always," came the angry reply. "He's connected to the others, you fool! One break in the link, and _he'll_ wake up!"

"Gee, you sound scared."

"No fool willingly approaches death as you do, Naruto. Now listen, boy, I have explicit plans for you to follow in the future. From now on, you must make certain those other three buffoons you call friends know of the circumstances. It's too dangerous for them not to understand the problems underlying chakra deprivation."

"Are you serious?" yelled at Naruto. "If they find out that I kept such a thing a secret from them, I'll die! Then you'll die! Then we'll all die! Aside of that, I thought secrecy was best in this instance!"

"Well, it was," began the Kyuubi, baring his teeth, "until you unlocked everyone's persona from a semi-permanent slumber. Now, they all have the ability to awaken when your _friends_ become deprived of chakra. You understand, boy?"

"Shit, so that white light?"

"Think about it. Now shut that brat up, and leave me! I have to make sure _he_ stays asleep."

Naruto watched as the red chakra abated and turned to go look at his past self locked away in a cage. The younger Naruto looked up and backed away slightly, eyes full of wary trepidation, and the older Naruto sighed slightly. "Look…Naruto. I can't kill you, but I also can't let you out – since I don't know how. In any case, I may need you to be inside there in the future. In fact…I have an idea for you to work on – a training regime, so to speak."

As soon as the younger Naruto heard the word "training", his whole demeanor changed. The young boy looked at Naruto eagerly, eyes shining as he thought of a new way to get stronger. "Right now," continued Naruto, "we are in your body – that much you know. However, I came from the future so that I could save your future. I don't want people dying like they did in my time, so, to make sure they don't, I need your help. Chakra is really hard to come by, and I need to make sure I have an ample supply. So, what I want you to do is this…"

* * *

Naruto's eyes flashed open, before he groaned from the bright sunlight streaming in through a nearby window. He moved his right hand to shield his eyes before pain sped down his arm from his shoulder. "Ah!" he gasped, hurriedly grabbing his right shoulder with his left hand as he turned to lay on his right side. Naruto winced as he squinted his eyes, trying to gather his bearings. Across the room, he saw Kakashi lying down on a futon, reading his Icha, Icha Paradise book. Kakashi, upon hearing the gasp of pain, had turned to look at the young blond. His expression was veiled as he said, "Awake now, are you?"

"Kakashi-sensei," Naruto murmured. He pushed himself up to a sitting position, eyes downcast. "Are you okay? I mean, your Sharingan…are you doing all right?"

The silver-haired man shrugged. "I won't be running around anytime soon, if that's what you mean."

"Oh…what about everyone else? Are they okay?"

"You see anyone else in here with us? Obviously, they must be, or else they'd be here, don't you think?"

Naruto was saved from having to comment when the door to the large room opened. Sasuke stuck his head in, frowning when he saw Naruto glaring at Kakashi, and the latter just reading his book. Stepping inside, he glanced from the blond to the jounin and back again, unsure of what had angered his best friend this time. Choosing to ignore their little tiff, he walked up to Naruto, placing his hands in his pockets.

"Hey," he called out softly. "You feeling better? Up to telling Kakashi, Shino, and Kiba about our little secret?"

At this, Kakashi turned his gaze over to look at Sasuke, his book long forgotten. Naruto grimaced slightly before sighing. "Yeah. I guess. May as well call those guys in. Ah, and hey, how long has it been since the battle?"

"Huh?" Sasuke said, having already gotten up and walked towards the door. "Oh. About two days, I guess? I'll be back in a sec, just have to get the others. They've been practicing outside since this morning."

Naruto stared at Sasuke's retreating form, eyes wide with disbelief. He had been asleep for _that_ long? Looking over at Kakashi, but seeing the man had started in on his book again, the vessel sighed. Rubbing his shoulder slightly, he winced slightly, but looked up when he saw the genin and Kurenai traipse in. Upon seeing him awake, Sakura immediately went towards him, hands already glowing green with her chakra as she performed a medical analysis. Kurenai frowned at the blond, but said nothing. She was surprised though, when Tazuna's grandson Inari came into the room, his expression murderous. Oddly enough, the first person he set sights on was Naruto, who he zoomed in on immediately. Raising an eyebrow in confusion, Naruto looked up at the kid, frowning.

"You!" shouted Inari, his tiny frame shaking. "Go home! You can't prove anything, and you're just ruining our lives more by staying here! Go away!"

Naruto stared at the boy for a few seconds before making a sound of disbelief. "Yeah, whatever, kid. We'll be out of here as soon as Gato's gone. Cool?"

Inari's face reddened slightly, and he yelled out louder, "You're just going to die!"

Annoyed, the blond glared at him before glancing over at Sakura. "Are you going to let me die?"

The rosette frowned at him, wondering why he included her into the conversation. "Of course not."

Looking back at Inari, Naruto said, "Hear that? I'm not dying. Go away, and leave me to my pain in peace."

On the verge of tears, the young black-haired boy kicked Naruto's right shoulder hard, causing the blond to cry out slightly. Naruto muttered obscenities as Inari ran out of the room and down the hall. Hinata and Sakura both immediately moved to look at Naruto's shoulder as Kiba and Sasuke glared at the kid as he left. Sakura touched Naruto's shoulder, but he grasped her wrist with his left hand, still gritting his teeth from the earlier pain. "I'm fine," he muttered. "Just…hold on."

Standing up and ignoring the protests of the two kunoichi, he walked over to a wall and pressed his right hand against it. Naruto gripped his right shoulder with his left hand and pushed hard against the wall, causing a loud, sucking 'pop' to echo through the room. Kiba looked sickened, Hinata looked irritable, and Sakura looked pissed. As Naruto was sighing and feeling slightly better, he yelled out when Sakura's fist slammed into the back of his head.

"Ow! What was _that_ for?"

"You idiot! What, you think you're macho or something? Leave the physical maims of the body to us!" shouted the rosette. "We're not medical-nin for nothing, you know!"

"But…" whined Naruto. "Ow, that hurt…"

"Suck it up!"

"But, Sakura-chan…"

Kakashi, fed up with their bickering, said, "Am I going to hear the reason as to why things went the way they did in that battle? Or am I just going to hear you two bicker like a married couple? I want to know why Kurenai and her team were waiting at the battle site, and I want to know why all of you seem so advanced for simple genin." Kakashi turned around to look at Sakura, his right eye targeted on her. "And, how could you possibly be a medic-nin at so young an age? With such a low stamina report?"

Team Seven along with Kurenai and Hinata gaped at the other jounin, uncertain of what to say. "Well," started Sasuke, closing the door and holding up a one-handed Ram seal. A burst of chakra went through the room, and he sighed. "That's a long story. But, since you've got nothing else to do, I suppose we can impart upon you our amazing secret."

Kakashi's right eye twitched a little at Sasuke's words, but he forced himself to relax. Nodding slowly, he said, "Hurry up then."

"Aye-aye sir," said Sasuke sarcastically. "Let's see – it all began with the Kyuubi…"

With that, Sasuke spent the next three hours walking Kakashi, Kiba, and Shino through their miraculous trip through time and experiences before Naruto had left with Jiraiya on the training journey, with Naruto, Hinata, and Sakura interjecting their own comments in at times. Afterwards, Sasuke nestled his head against Hinata's bosom, much to her embarrassment, and stayed there. Naruto looked at Hinata, amusement dancing in his eyes, and she frowned at him slightly, her cheeks tinted pink. He turned back to look at Kakashi, and frowned when he saw the man's cold right eye stare at him.

"You expect me to believe that far-fetched story? Where's the proof?"

"The proof," said Kurenai, resting her head against a wall, "is all around you. They told me about all of this a few days ago, before the mission had begun. Had they been lying, we would not be here as we speak. They're the ones who told me where to position my team, and they're the ones who told us when to interfere. In addition," continued the genjutsu mistress, her eyes closed, "can you really refute what you've been told? Take a look at Naruto at the very least, Kakashi. When is there ever a day he doesn't wear that hideous orange thing? Then look at him and Sakura. Since when have they liked each other? And Sasuke and Hinata? When was that even a possibility? Don't refute their experiences on account of your unwillingness to believe what you can't see possible."

Kakashi peered over at her, eye narrowed. "Since when have you been so relaxed about such a situation? Who's to say they're not acting?"

Kurenai let out a sound of irritation, but never opened her eyes. "An Uchiha is laying his head on a Hyuuga heiress's chest. A young girl is hanging out with what is esteemed to be the demon of the village. Wrap your head around those. As if it were possible for those things to happen in a few weeks."

Kakashi frowned, but realized the young woman was correct in what she said. He turned to look at Kiba and Shino, the former of which who was staring hard at Naruto. Naruto frowned at Kiba, an eyebrow raised. "What's your defocus?"

Kiba lifted a finger and pointed it at Naruto, trembling as he said, "You…you have the Kyuubi in you!"

"Ah, yeah. Forgot you didn't know that. Well, so? Going to kill me?"

Shino shook his head slightly, and pushed his glasses up with a few fingers. "Not at all, Naruto. Though it was surprising to hear, I bear you no misgivings, and understand your predicament. As a fellow shinobi, I will offer my assistance when necessary."

Naruto grinned, his eyes lighting up. "Awesome! Can always count on an Aburame for loyalty!" he exclaimed, completely giddy that the boy had accepted him. Turning to look at Kiba, he said, "So, what are you going to do then?"

Kiba stiffened slightly, but mustered a smirk while Akamaru barked excitedly. "Hell," said Kiba, eyes showing determination. "Like I give a damn. I'll still kick your ass around like a ping-pong ball, Kyuubi or no!"

"Hah! As if! I have experience!"

"Experience don't mean shit if you're always destined to suck!"

Naruto grimaced at Kiba's words, muttering, "Now you sound like Neji…"

"Who?" asked Kiba, looking confused. "Someone else from that weird future of yours?"

"Ah, no one, no one," the blond stated matter-of-factly. "Well, okay," he said, grinning as he pushed himself off the ground. "So, now that _that's_ all over, let's go train! I'm feeling really pumped!"

Kakashi allowed himself a few chuckles as he pushed himself up, not feeling as weak as he could. Everyone else stood as well, and Naruto led them out of the room, down the stairs past a surprised Tsunami, and out the door towards a large grassy with trees everywhere. Throwing his arms out wide, Naruto took in a deep breath, and let it out in one fell swoop. Turning around, he asked, "So, what all you guys been working on?"

Hinata and Sakura looked at each other before frowning at Sasuke and Naruto. The latter two blinked and looked at one another. After a few seconds, they glanced back at the girls in confusion. Sakura walked up to Naruto and shoved him back, saying, "_We're_ teaching Shino and Kiba how to climb trees. You just woke up – don't act as if you're ready to take on the world just yet."

Hinata lightly pushed Sasuke back, her eyes kind. "However, if you would like to help us out, could you go gather some herbs, please? We'll need to make some healing salves for the upcoming battles, if there are any."

The boys stared at the two kunoichi, each ready to argue on their behalves. Sakura gave them both a deadly glare, and the two backed off, waving as they ran to go gather herbs from the forest. Hinata chuckled slightly as she looked at Sakura, and the latter let out a few giggles as well. The two turned around and walked over to where the other two genin waited for them.

"Okay," began Sakura, clapping her hands. "Let's get started."

* * *

Naruto pushed his hands into his pockets, frowning as he walked through the forest with Sasuke. The latter was none-the-better as he, too, walked with his hands in his pockets, a scowl on his face. The two looked at each other before quickly turning away, each baring an annoyed expression. Naruto suddenly thought of something, and turned to look at his friend.

"Hey, what do herbs look like, anyway?"

Sasuke frowned at him, but narrowed his eyes when he found himself unable to answer. "Let's just….let's just choose random plants. Chances are we'll come across some that way."

"I bet the girls will just end up hitting me in the end…"

"Better you than me."

Naruto turned to glare at the other boy before his face took on an indiscernible expression, his nose turned up as he sniffed the air. Sasuke frowned at him, watching Naruto's eyes widen as he hacked and coughed. Wondering what was going on, he found his answer when a horribly putrid smell came in through his nose. Slapping a hand over his nose, Sasuke felt himself want to throw up and his eyes widened. The two boys looked for the source of the horrible smell, and found a dark figure nearly hidden by the shadows a good distance away from them. Naruto turned to him, silently asking whether they should proceed or not. Though unwilling, Sasuke strode forward, the blond on his heels.

The boys took in a deep breath as they gasped upon seeing the young boy named Haku, walking around a dead body with dull, lifeless eyes. A few seconds later, the two boys starting hacking after taking such a gulp of putrid air. Naruto stared at Haku, and looked down at the body, taking a step back when he identified it.

"Zabuza!" he gasped out, and Sasuke quickly turned to stare at the body. The Uchiha reeled back, and stared at Haku. "Haku," he whispered, but ended up not catching the other young man's attention. "Haku!" he said in a louder voice, and this time, ended up succeeded in capturing the other's attention.

Haku turned to look at them, his black eyes unfocused and unseeing. Naruto stared from him to Zabuza's body, and back again. "Hey, Haku, what happened to Zabuza?"

The young man opened his mouth and managed to say a few words.

Naruto and Sasuke's eyes widened unbelievably at Haku's words, each wondering what was going to happen in the future now.

* * *

Sakura slammed a fist into Kiba's head, yelling, "No, you idiot! Stop applying so much chakra! Geez, you could fuel an entire civilization with all that chakra you're putting out! Tone it down, and try again!"

Kiba muttered angrily as he rubbed his head, frowning as he said, "Naruto can have you. Flat-chested bitch."

Hinata and Shino glanced over at Sakura as the rosette's killer intent began to spike further. "What the hell did you just call me, you flea-bitten mongrel?" asked Sakura tersely. Kiba backed away from her as Sakura closed in on him, her eyes narrowed dangerously. She raised her fist high, about to slam it into the boy a second time when she heard shouts of her name over and over.

Turning to see who was shouting, she frowned when she saw Naruto running hurriedly over to the group. Kakashi and Kurenai stopped their own spar and turned to look at the blond, the former saying, "What's the problem, Naruto?"

Naruto ran up near Shino and Hinata, breathing in and out quickly. Looking up, the others saw his frightened and troubled expression. Gulping for breath, he calmed himself down quickly, and looked at Sakura when he said,

"We've got a problem."

* * *

Kage Bunshin no Jutsu – Shadow Clone Technique  
Ninpou: Kirigakure no Jutsu – Ninja Arts: Hidden Mist Technique  
Chuuzuri Hakkeshou Kaiten – Midair Eight Trigrams Palms Heavenly Spin  
Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu – Water Clone Technique  
Rasengan – Spiraling Sphere  
Chidori – One Thousand Birds  
Magen: Jubaku Satsu – Demonic Illusion: Tree Bind Death

First Completion: 4/30/2008 11:20:32 PM

* * *

Hope you enjoyed the story. Come back soon for the next installment!


	6. Chapter 6

All right. My apologies for the amazingly long wait. I lost my enthusiasm for my story somewhere after 5k, and couldn't get it back until a month ago, or so. I decided to do a double edition. This is a little over 15k, according to FFN, so I hope that's allowable. Please do enjoy this chapter.

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

Previously on TT7:

The fight against Zabuza has finally ended. In the midst of a simple herb-gathering task, Sasuke and Naruto came upon surprising news - something that would greatly change their plans.

* * *

Chapter Six

As the sun proceeded to set, colors of all spectrums of the rainbow dyed the sky, and the latent humidity formed slight puffs of fog around the quiet village in the Land of the Waves. The low-altitude clouds billowed out through the village, seeping in between houses and settling in like a fungus. Naruto looked out from the window in the designated room given to them by Tazuna, eyes darkened and cloudy as he looked through the mist. He shifted his position so that his left shoulder was leaning against the window frame, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Zabuza is dead," he murmured softly, narrowing his eyes slightly. He pushed off from the frame forcefully, instead shifting his eyes to look around the empty, darkened room. Running a hand through his blond locks, Naruto chuckled softly, before it escalated into full-blown laughter. An image of Haku's painful face as he cried over the loss of his fatherly figure flashed through Naruto's mind, and the blond rose a hand to cover his face, his laughter fading into soft sobs. "Zabuza is dead," he choked out, tears streaming down his cheeks, "and Haku is left alone. And I…I helped kill him. I killed them both."

A thread of light crept through the room before reaching Naruto, and he looked up quickly, hiccupping through his sobs. His eyes widened slightly before he turned away and walked towards a darker part of the room. The figure who had opened the door closed it behind him or herself, and walked over to the blond. Naruto glanced at the person quickly, still hiccupping. "It wasn't mean to happen like that," he managed out between his slight chest convulsions. "He was supposed to live. Haku was supposed to be happy. I was going to have them both come to Konoha with us."

The boy was then surprised when the figure engulfed him in a hug, though he didn't bother to fight it. "Hinata," he whispered, clutching her tightly against him, greedy for the comfort she was giving. "What have I done?"

Ignoring his question, she ended the embrace, eyes gentile and filled with warmth. "Whatever happened, happened because of us all. Now, come; you've been in this room ever since you and Sasuke told us about Zabuza, and that's been hours. I understand you're upset – we all are, but we must push past it. We must persevere, for the future, and for the sake of our homeland."

"It never gets any easier," whispered Naruto, much to Hinata's confusion. She frowned at him, unable to understand where his comment originated from. He forced a grin to his tear-streaked face. "Those years on ANBU, all those people who died for stupid reasons, all those friends and people I could have made friends with… I remember them all, and how they died. I remember their jokes, their laughter, their dreams, their families… I can't get them out of my mind! I act all happy and everything…but…"

Hinata felt pain race across her chest, though she quickly masked her pain as her right hand reached to clutch at her jacket. Her attention momentarily drifted from Naruto as the pain seared through her, causing her to wince slightly. _What was that_? she wondered. _That pain came out of nowhere. I wasn't hit at my chest at any point of the last battle…where did that pain come from?_

"Hinata?"

Naruto's voice snapped the Hyuuga out of her reverie, and she shook her head. "Ah," she began, forcing a smile to her lips. "For now, Naruto," she began, "try not to remember everything so much."

The words sounded lame and unresponsive, even to her, and she felt herself grimace slightly. "Look, Naruto, everyone is waiting for us. We should go eat dinner before they become even more worried. All right?"

Naruto stared at her for a few moments before a true smile crossed his face. "I feel like shit, and guilty as hell, but you know exactly what to say to make me feel a lot better. I remember Tsunami always made the best food. I'm starved."

Hinata mustered a shaky grin as Naruto walked away, his posture more relaxed as he walked. Suddenly, he stopped and glanced back at her, still smiling. "Hey, Hinata?"

She frowned gently, concern etched into her features. "Yes, what is it, Naruto?"

"You always help me so much," he said happily. "You're my best friend, and a great person and kunoichi! See you down at dinner!"

He waved to her as he opened the door and left the room, leaving her to her lonesome. Hinata's right hand shook from where it clenched at her jacket, and she breathed in and out deeply. Pain cut through her chest at Naruto's last words, and she tightened her hold on her jacket. Within a couple of minutes, the pain passed and she stood up slowly from where she had involuntarily fallen. Thinking about the pain versus Naruto's words, she found herself growing slightly irritable.

_I don't even want to know_, she thought to herself as she, too, walked out of the room.

As she reached the lower level of the house and walked into the main living area, Kiba spared her an enthusiastic greeting, before hurrying to eat the remainder of his rice. She granted him a small smile before taking her seat next to Sasuke and Sakura. She smiled again at Sasuke before turning her gaze slightly to look over at Naruto, who was currently gulping down bite after bite of his dinner. Nodding slightly, she came to the understanding that Naruto was feeling better, in all honesty. Hinata had been a bit concerned that he had been hiding his emotions from her, again, and was grateful that everything appeared all right, in general.

Looking back down at her food, which had grown slightly cold from her time upstairs with Naruto, Hinata realized she wasn't as hungry as she had originally been earlier. She ended up staring down at it, her chopsticks wavering in her slightly shaking hand. Sasuke frowned at her before moving his gaze to look at her trembling, right hand. Nudging her gently with his elbow, he saw her come falling back to reality and glance back at him.

"Eat," he commanded softly, taking a bite of his fish. Hinata looked at him, frowning, before she felt a nudge come from her other side. Irritation ran through her again as she turned her attention to her right where Sakura was giving her a look. Unfortunately, it was a look that had always perturbed Hinata greatly, as it was the one Sakura gave to every single one of her patients when she wanted them to do something. It was also a look that could not be ignored as it seemed to burn into one's mind and stay within his or her awareness.

"Ah," the Hyuuga fumbled, causing both Sakura and Sasuke to glare deeply at her. Naruto looked over at the commotion, his cheeks round and full with food. His words were dripping with annoyance as he said, "Best not to waste this wonderful food that the wonderful Tsunami cooked for our wonderful services concerning her wonderful father, despite the fact a wonderful bastard named Gatoh has wonderfully limited their capacity for wonderful, wonderful food."

All the people at the table ended up giving him a strange look at that, though Hinata had grasped his warning clear as a bell. However, that had not made it any less annoying to hear the word "wonderful" stated in a sentence eight times. Her right eye twitched as she looked over at the still eating Kyuubi vessel, unsure of what to say after such a sentence.

Inari, who had watched the entire exchange, felt his anger begin to mount. He slammed his small hands on the table, gathering everyone's attention. He glared first at Hinata, before going to back to glaring at Naruto, and then back to Hinata once again. "You!" he exclaimed, pointing at the heiress, much to her surprise and confusion. She raised an eyebrow in counter.

"Yes?"

"You think you're _so_ cool and amazing that you can just _ignore_ the food my mother made for you? What, suddenly you're too good to eat what us poor people eat?"

At that comment, Hinata stiffened, her face paling slightly as anger begin to furl within her. Tsunami stared at her son before noticing the offended expression Hinata bore upon her face. "That's enough, Inari! Apologize this instant!"

Inari ignored his mother, preferring instead to keep attacking the foreigners. "I know what people like you are like! Think you're so great – you probably have this huge house where there are _servants_ and you have this amazingly huge family that treats you like you're a _queen_!"

"Inari, stop it," yelled Tsunami, making efforts to rise from where she sat at the table. Hinata's cold voice stopped her, however:

"No," Hinata called out softly. "Let him continue."

Inari hesitated slightly, glancing over at the two jounin before glaring back at Hinata. "People like you have _never_ suffered! Your dad probably calls you his _sweet_ princess and your mom probably makes you cookies and cakes all the time! Well, we don't have that kind of privilege here! If you couldn't tell, most of us are starving, and you have the nerve to ignore our food? What, think it's going to poison you, _Princess_?"

Silence passed through the house, and though Naruto found Inari to be far more of a brat this time around than before, he continued to eat his food. The soft spike of chakra forced him to turn his attention over to Hinata however. The young woman raised her cold, lavender eyes to look at the young nine-year-old boy.

"Allow me to make this clear," she said softly, her gaze steely and her tone frosty. "I do not, first of all, see how hesitating to eat food, no matter where it comes from, makes me some spoiled, rich girl. Second of all, and most important of all, you will _never_ itemize me again, are we clear?" she shouted at the end, her knuckles white from being clenched so tightly. Inari watched with slight fear as she stood up, an expression of torment battling lividness on her face.

"Who are you to claim anything about me, _boy_?" she spat out. Memories of her family dying and screaming for her assistance raced through her mind, and she gritted her teeth. More memories of her father blatantly ignoring her and of her mother on her deathbed gripped her, causing her to begin to tremble. Not even Sasuke's hand on her shoulder could help her, nor Sakura's.

"You don't know jack _shit_ about me, you brat! And I will not stand here and allow you to sort me into some room in your mentality so you know how to react and discard me as a nuisance. You have had troubled times, but who hasn't? Have you watched your entire family die without you being able to do a single thing? Even though you may have had a chance to prevent it?"

Two drops of tears slid from her eyes as she glared down at the boy, and the two lavender orbs widened slightly as she realized she had completely lost control, and let loose her most horrid memory. Her face lost all its remaining color before her skin turned a tinge of green. Hinata's right hand flew up to cover her mouth as she gasped and took a step back. Closing her eyes, she whispered, "Please excuse me," as she shifted around Sasuke and ran up the stairs to their designated room. Sasuke muttered a few curse words, glaring deeply at Inari, before he ran around the table and up the stairs after her.

Tsunami stared with a horrified expression as two of her guests ran away from the eating area because of her son's harsh words. Tazuna frowned deeply, his eyes narrowing slightly as he watched the last Uchiha run after the Hyuuga, but merely picked up his cup of tea and drank from it. Kiba and Shino seemed out of place and confused, not sure why their teammate had reacted so strongly and not sure if they should deal with the young brat that had started it all. The two genin found themselves glancing over to look at their sensei, Kurenai, who looked at a loss for words, herself. The woman met her students' eyes but found herself unable to hold the eye contact. She turned to look at Kakashi, but he could give her no advice to follow. Kurenai looked at the now fuming Sakura, who was glaring at Inari, who was returning the action.

"You have a problem, Forehead?" Inari snarled, much to Sakura's disbelief. She slammed a hand down on the table, taking care not to use too much force as she had in Kurenai's apartment. Her leaf-green eyes darkened to a forest-green as she gritted her teeth.

"Why you…! How dare you call me that, you–!"

She was interrupted when Naruto burped with satisfaction and held out his rice bowl to a speechless Tsunami. His grin was wide and bright as he gestured with his bowl.

"More please!" he said, rubbing his stomach. "Man, that was some awesome grub! Hey, do you think you have any more fish? I could sure eat some more…and more rice please!" he added at the end as Tsunami rose to fulfill his request, albeit a bit hesitantly.

Sakura stared at him as he trembled with glee when Tsunami gave him another plate of fish and two more bowls of rice. He grabbed one bowl and plunged into it with his chopsticks, hurriedly eating grain after grain. In the midst of his feast, he noticed Sakura staring at him, her expression indecipherable. He showed his pearly-white teeth, setting his bowl down as he paid her close attention.

"What's up?" he asked, plucking a grain of rice from the edge of his mouth and tossing it in his mouth. Sakura blinked, and smiled softly. "You're something else," she said warmly, reaching for her own bowl of rice.

Naruto frowned, shrugging and placing a hand on her shoulder as he leaned closer. "Hey, hey," he whispered, causing her to raise an eyebrow in interest. "Do you think Haku's ready to come inside yet? He's just been sitting out there, mourning over Zabuza. I guess we could be brothers, since we were both sulking for so long at the same time."

"Ah, I suppose," she conceded. She laid her bowl and chopsticks back down on the table and rose up fluidly. Smiling at Naruto, she said, "I'll see if I can't bring him on in."

Directing her attention to Tsunami, she asked, "Is there enough food for the boy sitting outside? If not, Naruto and I can gather food ourselves."

Tsunami blinked slowly before quickly shaking her head. "No, that's not necessary, Haruno-san! Please, do bring the boy in! I'm certain there are still a few fish remaining, and we have plenty of rice left!"

_You say that even with how much Naruto's consuming_? Sakura questioned inwardly, but smiling at the woman anyway. "Thank you, Tsunami-san. I'll return shortly."

Naruto and the other people sitting at the dinner table watched as Sakura calmly walked out of the house, the door shutting behind her. The blond smiled when he and everyone else heard soft niceties exchanged, and began to dig into his fish when he heard soft sobbing. Hesitating, his chopsticks holding the piece of fish wavered in his hand. Sakura's calm and soothing words seemed to quiet the crying, and Naruto managed to take the small piece of fish into his mouth. He chewed happily when random comments were thrown back and forth outside, though he choked on a part of the fish when he heard a loud _bump_. He was still coughing when Sakura opened the door with a cheerful face and dragged the hurting Haku in, sitting him down next to her while she sat beside Naruto. Tsunami, despite being uncertain of what took place outside, set a fish-filled plate and bowl of rice in front of Haku, who smiled gratefully.

Inari frowned as Haku began to eat, before the frown turned into a scowl. "_Another_ one?" he asked incredulously. "Why are you here?"

Haku met the boy's eyes with a warm expression. "The ninja of Konoha are helping me to overcome my difficulties."

"Even though it was our fault in the first place, kind of," muttered Naruto, chewing his food slowly. Inari stared at the blond before shooting a questioning glance over at Haku. "What'd they do?"

"They did nothing they were not trained to do," stated Haku evasively as he pulled off a piece of his fish. "The battle was a bit more difficult than Zabuza-sama and I were prepared for, and so we paid the consequences. I have grieved for too long, or so Haruno-san has told me."

Sakura's cheeks turned a pinkish hue, and she dug into her food more vigorously, much to both Haku and Naruto's amusement. Haku ate some rice with his fish, and sighed contentedly. "Of course," he continued, "Zabuza-sama will not be forgotten for me. I will always remember him."

Inari frowned, leaning forward. "Yeah? What was he to you?"

"Practically my father," Haku said easily, continuing to eat. Inari, however, could only widen his eyes in disbelief.

"These people…killed your father? Someone you looked up to more than anything?"

"Hmm?" murmured Haku, not quite understanding where the boy was going. "As I stated before, there was nothing else to be done in such a situation."

"They could have _not_ killed him!"

"Then they would have died," Haku retorted calmly. "It is understandable for one to place one's own life above another's, particularly in a dangerous situation such as was our shinobi battle. I know that had the circumstances been any different, the Konoha ninja would not have killed. Thus why I am content enough to try and just remember the times I shared with Zabuza-sama. And again, as Haruno-san told me before, grieving won't bring him back, and will make me become a gruesome creature."

Smiling over at Sakura, whose cheeks were quite red by this point, he chuckled. "I would not want to become something to be feared based on emotions I should be able to control."

Inari stared at Haku with something akin to anger and aggravation. He glared at Naruto and Sakura, before glancing to his right at Kiba and Shino, and then onto Kakashi and Kurenai. "Which of you killed that guy's father?" he demanded, looking at all six of them. "Which one did it?"

Sakura sighed, setting down her chopsticks as she clapped her hands together. "Thank you for the good meal," she said, smiling at Tsunami. Turning back to look at Inari, she tilted her chin up, annoyance flitting across her face. "I killed him, if you so desperately needed to know. What of it?"

Inari gaped at her open honesty, before sneering. "And you call yourself a hero? You're nothing but dirt."

"Correction," Sakura stated in a clear voice, "_I_ do not have the hero complex. You would be referring to my boyfriend, the human food vacuum. In any case," she continued, ignoring Naruto's indignant sputters, "yes, I killed. Again, what of it? I'm a shinobi. I will protect myself and my own before considering that of an enemy's health."

"So you're just selfish."

"More or less, I suppose," she said, shrugging. "Do you have any other questions? If not, Kiba, Shino, and I have some training to deal with. Don't bother us, okay?"

She stood up, walked around Haku and motioned for Kiba and Shino to follow her. Inari gritted his teeth and glared daringly at Naruto, who ignored it easily. Looking at Haku, Kakashi, and Kurenai, Naruto said, "I'm going to retrieve Sasuke and Hinata, if possible. Then I want to talk to you about the Gatoh situation."

Turning his focus to Kurenai, he added, "I need you to be there without a doubt. You're a key point in this plan."

Her expression became confused, but she nodded nonetheless. "All right," Naruto murmured. Looking at Tsunami, he bowed his head. "Thanks for the meal. Think I could hire you out and steal you away to Konoha? I'll pay you to be my cook."

Tsunami stared at him with open disbelief, until Naruto grinned, his eyes bright. "Kidding, kidding. I'll be outside soon – just let me fetch those two upstairs."

Kurenai watched him jump over the table and run up the stairs, his feet pounding against every wooden step. Sighing, she directed Kiba and Shino to wait outside for her and Kakashi. Looking at him, she tilted her head. "What do you think he needs with me now?"

"Who knows?" asked the silver-haired jounin rhetorically. "He's always thinking of something or another. You'd better be prepared for it, though…whatever it may be."

* * *

Hinata laid down on the floor, her head in Sasuke's lap as she looked up at him pensively. He was gazing out the window, his left hand gently running through her short hair, making her feel calm and peaceful. Closing her eyes, she allowed herself to relax further, lowering her awareness slowly. She frowned when she heard various shouts downstairs, attributing them to the rude boy she had became so infuriated with earlier. Now that she recollected over that, she grimaced slightly. How befitting of a matriarch she was…growing angry over the comments from a silly child.

"He's a bit different this time around," Sasuke began softly, gaining her attention, "but he turns out to be a good kid. I think. I never really paid attention to him the first time around. Something about annoying kids being annoying, or something."

Hinata chuckled. "Yes, I would assume annoying kids are indeed that – annoying."

"But now he's just intolerable," the boy argued, his coal-black eyes narrowed as he continued to look out the window. "I don't remember him being that bad the first time."

Sighing, Hinata shook her head gently. "Maybe your memory's leaving you."

Sasuke blinked slowly, his eyes narrowing further. "No, I'm quite positive that he was different before. Not as persistent and rude as this time around. Speaking of which…there are a lot of weird things going on this time around."

"Like?"

"Mizuki…I guess that was going to happen one way or another. But I do _not_ recall Zabuza being so powerful. We had two teams, two jounin included. Four of us are from the future, with advanced experience and jutsu. We won the battle the first time around with just a few pretty tricks and Kakashi's unarguably excellent skills. Why is it that with so many more skilled people, could we barely do any damage to Zabuza until the very end?"

Sasuke ran his hands through his hair as he grew more and more irritated. Hinata frowned up at him, pushing herself from the floor and turning to look at him. The last Uchiha blinked quickly, his eyes shifting left and right quickly, causing Hinata to frown deeper. Sasuke looked at her, his eyes fierce. "Our time travel could not have done this much damage without us doing anything. Where did Zabuza get all that strength from? And Haku? Zabuza couldn't make that many clones before, and they weren't nearly as strong either. Haku didn't even try using his Makyou Hyou Shou, which increased his speed tenfold, no, twentyfold when racing from one mirror to another. If possible, he seemed even _more_ gentle this time around.

"Even with our chakra building exercises, all of us were having a lot of trouble, and we couldn't get solid hits. We couldn't use a lot of big attacks either – our chakra systems wouldn't be able to handle them. I mean, if…"

Sasuke trailed off, his eyes widening slightly as thoughts raced through his head. Hinata waited patiently for his ending thoughts, to see where he was going with his revelations. Her boyfriend looked back up at her, face expressing slight horror, which did nothing but cause her to tense more. He stood up quickly, looking down at the Hyuuga heiress. "Hinata, do you remember if they used any big attacks? Other than mist and Mizu Bunshin?"

Hinata was about to respond when Naruto suddenly burst into the room, smiling. Sasuke and Hinata stared over at him, and Naruto slowly lost his grin, his eyes shifting from one teammate to the other. "What's up?" he asked slowly, eyes narrowing. "Seems really serious."

"Naruto," Sasuke called despondently. The blond turned his gaze over to the Uchiha, now frowning. Sasuke glanced up at him. "Do you remember if Zabuza and Haku happened to use any big jutsu?"

"Huh?" Naruto answered eloquently. "That was kind of random."

"Answer the question!"

The blond sighed, placing his hands on his hips. "No. What's that have to do with anything?"

"Why did we have so much trouble fighting those two, with all our resources, if all they used was a simple mist jutsu, and a Mizu Bunshin jutsu?"

Naruto frowned at the boy, though Sasuke could see the blond was quickly replaying the last battle in his head. Naruto's expressions went from bored, to thoughtful, to surprised, and finally to shocked and horrified. Hinata looked at the two boys, understanding vague bits of the conversation, but not quite certain where it stemmed from. Naruto clenched his fists. "He didn't use that water jutsu, and Haku didn't use that ice jutsu! Wait, Haku wasn't even _in_ the first battle! Why was he this time? Crap, we asked Kurenai-sensei's team to keep him busy, but he joined the battle? We also had to watch for that rower guy with Tazuna, and we had to make sure Kiba and Shino didn't die…but we had two jounin! And there were so many Mizu Bunshin…why? How did he get that power?"

If nothing else, Sasuke began to scowl even more. "I have one more question."

Naruto looked at him, feeling slightly frantic now. Sasuke held his gaze steady, asking, "What was that white light? And why did only us that traveled through time suffer through it?"

The vessel stared at Sasuke, uncertain of what to say. Looking from Hinata back to the other boy, he could only think of two words:

"Oh…shit."

* * *

Sakura sat up in a tree looking through her medical supplies and directing Shino and Kiba through their training when Naruto came up to their training grounds, Hinata, Sasuke, and Haku in tow. She narrowed her eyes slightly when she saw chakra billowing around the blond every so often, making it seem as if there were a small breeze running through the area. Packing up her supplies again, Sakura stood up, reattaching the bag around her waist. A second later, she vanished from the branch and appeared next to her teammates, though Naruto did nothing but glance at her quickly. Sakura frowned, not understanding what had caused Naruto to activate his serious mode, easily recognized by the cold depths of his eyes and the cool façade he carried.

"Kakashi, Kurenai," said Naruto calmly, placing his hands in his pockets. Sakura raised an eyebrow at the blond – as if the two jounin would hear him when he spoke in such soft tones, especially when they were sparring. Annoyance flitted across Naruto's face, and he took a deep breath.

"_Kakashi_!_ Kurenai_! Gather!"

Suffice to say, the rosette wasn't too surprised when the two jounin only looked over at the blond, incredulous expressions on their faces. Naruto tilted his chin up, eyes narrowing slightly. "I gave you an order, and expect it obeyed. We've had a change of situation. From this point on, we're not playing around."

He stopped speaking momentarily when the jounin walked over to his group, and then continued: "Due to recent discussion, it has been brought to my attention that some things have seriously been changed from the first time we went on this mission, to now."

Turning to an approaching Kiba, Akamaru, and Shino, he nodded. "First thing to have overall changed from the first time Hinata, Sasuke, Sakura, and I did this, was of course with Mizuki. And as we told you, the first battle with Zabuza and Haku wasn't nearly as tiresome as this last one was, and Team Eight had not assisted us either. The first time around, Zabuza executed quite a few more jutsu than this time around, which is why Kakashi was drained so much. However, we had Team Eight in this last battle, so, considering all we knew before, it should have been a simple enough battle do deal with. Why wasn't it?

"I can only assume that had Zabuza or Haku used any high rank jutsu, we would have lost, quite easily. I cannot blame this on anything but inexperience, disillusion, lack of knowledge, and lack of preparation. Skill, to be honest, has nothing to do with that battle, as everyone produced a good amount of it. So, to make up for our faults, we will be training. A lot."

Turning to Kiba and Shino, he said, "I will be having people of my team working with you two extensively. We will be increasing your chakra storages by twenty percent, if possible. I will have you both tested for your element affinities–"

"I know them," Hinata interrupted softly. Naruto looked at her, nodded once, and turned back to the two boys.

"All right. Then based on Hinata's knowledge of your affinities, we will be having you learn several jutsu in that area. I'm sure that won't be possible to accomplish in the time we have left here, so we'll just have you work with chakra training. For the next few days, or however much time we have left, you will be concentrating on tree-climbing. I know you already know the process, and have pretty much gotten the hang of it, but that's not good enough. Whoever I assign to be your mentor, you will listen to without complaint."

When Kiba looked ready to protest, Naruto glared at him, repeating, "_Without_ complaint. In addition, whomever your mentor may be, you will listen to unconditionally, and will be who you look to for more advanced training, whether that be forms of taijutsu, or jutsu for genjutsu and taijutsu. Kekkei Genkai will of course be handled by your families. Let's move on to punishment: if for any reason your mentor deigns you having been insubordinate, or something of the like or worse, they have the authorization to deal out punishment as they see fit. If either of you continue to be hard to deal with, the jounin of my choice will then deal out your punishment. After that, you will deal with me. And I guarantee that whatever I have in store for you, may very well kill you. So let's hope you don't have to see me in that regard."

Turning to Kakashi, Kurenai, Sakura, and Haku, he said, "You have questions. I will answer them shortly. First and foremost, though…

"Sasuke, you will take Kiba and Akamaru, and Hinata, you will work with Shino. I want them to do five sets on whatever tree you like. After they succeed with that, you will move on to ten, fifteen, twenty, and so on. Do not give them too much time of rest. And, just so there aren't any bad feelings from the start, you will do it with them."

Sasuke and Hinata looked at each other, each grimacing slightly. The vessel looked at them, frowning slightly. "Is that a problem? I need your chakra storages increased as well, so I believe this a great way to do so. Again, is there a problem?"

Sasuke and Hinata turned to him, each taking up a stance at 'attention' and bowing their heads. "No, Uzumaki-taichou."

When Naruto raised his eyebrow at the title, they both walked away towards their dependents, muttering, "Habit."

Focusing then on who was left, he raised his eyebrow at the two jounin that seemed to be bursting with questions. Kakashi looked at Kurenai, who nodded at him. The silver-haired jounin then asked Naruto, "Taichou?"

"I was an ANBU captain. Next?"

"What constitutes a set?" asked Kurenai. "It doesn't sound too pleasant."

"A set consists of walking up a tree five steps, doing twenty squats in place, walking up another five steps, another twenty squats, and so on. You finish a set once you've gone up and down the tree once. If you fall, no matter what part of the set you were on – even if you were on Part C, where you're doing fifteen sets, you start over with Part A, with five sets, and work your way up again."

Kakashi frowned, looking over at where Sasuke and Hinata were. "You couldn't have given them an easier exercise? They're new at this, unlike you."

"That's a starter set, Kakashi. Let's move on."

"Okay," said Sakura. "Why the sudden need for training?"

A few moments passed by where Naruto just closed his eyes and said nothing. Tilting his head slightly, he shifted his gaze over to look at the others were starting their sets before looking back at Sakura. "Earlier, when I went to check on Sasuke and Hinata, I was presented with a few details that caused me some alarm. I told you the first source of my alarm, but I cannot tell you the second. Not just yet. However, take note of this:

"If we had so much trouble effectively dealing with Zabuza, then how will we ever be able to cross paths with Orochimaru in the future? Much less Akatsuki? We will die."

His point-blank statement was slowly processed by Sakura, though her eyes widened quickly when she understood. Groaning slightly, Sakura moved to massage her temples while closing her eyes. Kakashi and Kurenai looked at the young woman, noticing her sudden tension. Slipping his hands in his pockets, Kakashi faced Naruto with his piercing, right eye.

"What does this battle have to do with Orochimaru? What do you know of him, and what's 'Akatsuki'? Is this an enemy Konoha should be wary of?"

"Also," interjected Kurenai, "how do those people effect our current situation, and statuses? What should we be doing to make this situation more so in our favor? Is that even a possibility?"

Naruto frowned slightly and looked over at Haku. "Have any questions, yourself?"

The ice-user tilted his head slightly, asking, "Who is Orochimaru, exactly? I don't recall Zabuza-sama ever saying anything about him."

"He wouldn't," Naruto muttered.

Ignoring that comment, Haku also said, "I'm also curious about this 'Akatsuki'. Will my skills aid you any in the upcoming battles? I would like to lend a hand in your battles. I shall be your tool whenever you may need me, Uzumaki-san."

Naruto turned to give Haku an indecipherable glance. "I'll get mad at you for that comment later," he said flatly. "In any case, Haku, as far as I'm concerned, you're part of our team already. We'll get you registered as an actual Konoha ninja later. That's of no consequence at the moment. Moving on…"

The blond crossed his arms over his chest and tilted his head back as he got ready for a long discussion: "To start, Orochimaru is an S-classed missing-nin who took an odd pleasure in practicing experiments on people. While the people he chose were often unknowns to everyday society, the fact that he did was reason enough for treason alone. He ruined a lot of lives by doing that. For example," Naruto continued, looking at Kurenai in particular, "he implanted a ridiculous seal called the Cursed Seal of Heaven on one of our village's jounin when she was a child. Her name is Mitarashi Anko, and to this day, she still suffers pain from him. Though luckily for her, Orochimaru was only testing the seal at that point."

He noticed Kurenai's eyes darken slightly and nodded his head. "The guy's a bastard, Haku. Make sure you get that into your head right here and now. However, I have a feeling that no matter how strong he was the first time I saw him, he'll be even stronger this time around. Which brings me to the point of why he's so significant for us."

The vessel tilted his head, thinking quickly. "Suppose I'll start with Sasuke. Of course, Kakashi and Kurenai know about the Uchiha Massacre. All of the Uchiha, save for Sasuke, were completely decimated. Being the last Uchiha standing, aside from his older brother who committed the crime, Sasuke is quite the precious person. He gives our village hope, for one, as his clan was very powerful, and two, bares the almighty Sharingan. As a person who wants all the jutsus in the entire world that could ever be thought of, Orochimaru will track down Sasuke until the end of the earth. And, as soon as we get back, it should be nearly time for the Chuunin Exams, right Kakashi?"

The aforementioned man raised his eyebrow, and shrugged. "I guess it's about that time."

"Yeah," agreed Naruto, nodding. "And at that time, Orochimaru will strike. Though it'll be during the second trial, when we're in the forest. Anko will be proctor."

Kurenai's face whitened slightly before her blood-red eyes hardened. "He will not touch her."

Kakashi laid a hand on Kurenai's shoulder and turned back to Naruto. "And Akatsuki?"

"Akatsuki is comprised of thirteen members, or at least, it used to, until Orochimaru fled. I won't give their names right now, but take care to understand that Itachi is part of the group."

Both jounins looked at one another and each leveled Naruto with a steel gaze. "So, who is our first priority?"

"Orochimaru," stated Naruto, eyes cold. "He will appear in the second trial. Akatsuki will come after me after that trial, during the month we're on reprieve before the final trial. Hopefully, I'll be able to track down both Jiraiya and Tsunade when they arrive."

"Jiraiya, the Great Toad Sannin?" Kakashi said with disbelief.

"Tsunade, the Great Medic Sannin?" Kurenai echoed.

"Heard of them, have you?" Naruto replied dryly. "Anyway, Orochimaru is our focus. We must also find all the Jinchuuriki. I already know where a few are, but we'll deal with that later.

"For now," he continued, "I will go over the plan for getting rid of Gatoh. However, as Kakashi and Sakura are not necessary for this plan to work, I'd like for you two to begin some sets as well."

Sakura gave him such a horrified look at he almost reconsidered, though he quickly steeled himself. "Haku, Kurenai, and I will do it, too, so don't give me that look."

He was momentarily interrupted by a loud _thump_ and a couple of howls. Naruto, Sakura, Haku, Kurenai, Kakashi, and a curious Shino and Hinata turned to look at a howling Akamaru and Kiba, and a growling Sasuke. The latter jumped down to glare at Kiba, who was holding his calves and whimpering.

"You big, whiny baby!" yelled Sasuke. "Thanks to you, we have to start all over again. We didn't even get halfway up the damn tree, you pathetic mongrel!"

Kiba glared back up at the Uchiha. "I'm out of chakra, you dumbass! I told you that when we started the second twenty squats, but did you listen? No! You know why? 'Cause you're a dumbass!"

Sasuke's right eye began to twitch and he marched over and shoved a foot down into Kiba's stomach, the latter crying out in pain. "Who's the dumbass, you damned mongrel? Well, well, since you're out of chakra, guess we'll start doing push-ups! You don't need chakra to do that!"

"Are you _insane_? I'm fucking tired!"

"Well, now I know why you're not the _alpha_ in your family. Little, weak pup!"

Kiba kicked off Sasuke's foot and rounded on him. "What the hell did you call me? Want to try me again? I'll beat you anywhere, anyhow!"

Naruto cleared his throat slightly, catching Sasuke's attention. Motioning over to Hinata and Shino as well, who had taken a break long before due to Shino's low chakra levels, Naruto waited until all four were next to him. Nodding slightly at Hinata, he glared over at Sasuke, and walked in front of the boy. Sasuke raised an eyebrow in curiosity before Naruto slammed his fist into the boy's face. The Uchiha stared up at Naruto with disbelief.

"Being an acting commander," began Naruto coldly, "calls for some sense. Why didn't you ask Hinata to check his chakra system to see if he was lying or not? Or why didn't you activate your Sharingan and check some things yourself? Your actions are undesirable. Now stand and receive your punishment."

Sasuke gritted his teeth, but stood up as ordered. When Naruto brought back his fist again, Sasuke closed his eyes tightly and waited for the hit…and waited…and waited. He opened his eyes quickly when he felt Naruto lay a hand on his shoulder, and grin.

"Just pay attention in the future, yeah?"

Sasuke's wide eyes stared into Naruto's warm ones, before he adopted a grin of his own. "Whatever."

"Let this be a warning to all of you," stated Naruto seriously as he turned away from Sasuke. "We aren't training for ourselves, we are training to save people. There's no room for idiocy here. Idiocy ruined us in the future, and I will not allow us to allow that to happen again. Now, those that just did sets, go ahead and rest. Sakura, Kakashi, begin your sets. You know the drill. As for Kurenai and Haku, follow me."

Naruto walked away from a groaning Sakura and a slightly befuddled Kakashi with Kurenai and Haku in tow. Leading them further into the forest, Naruto looked from Haku to Kurenai, his gaze cool. "Here's the deal," he began, placing his hands on his hips. "Gatoh expects Zabuza to report in within a week's time, right, Haku?"

Haku nodded gently, saying, "Yes, though he already had a large army of mercenaries at his beck and call."

"I thought as much. Which is why we will execute this plan in three days. We will spend the next couple of days training, and on that last day, we'll take down Gatoh. Kurenai, since she's the genjutsu specialist here, will transform into Zabuza and maintain his attitude during our mission. Haku, you will be her assistant, and show her how to fully get into character. Since Gatoh won't want you coming in empty-handed, you'll be taking me."

"You?" Kurenai asked skeptically. "Wouldn't he rather have someone well-known?"

"Once he learns how much value I hold as a slave, he'll be imploring you to have me. Also, I can only assume that he won't want anyone around when he talks to us but his two faithful servants. At least, I hope there are only still those two. Anyway," Naruto continued, rubbing the back of his head, "that's the plan. I couldn't think of anything more…_grandiose_, so, that's what we've got. I'm sure Kurenai can turn into Zabuza easily, right?"

The young woman nodded slowly, chakra gathering around her as she transformed into Momochi Zabuza. Naruto smiled at her, and she let her illusion fall. "Good," Naruto said, still smiling. "I have complete confidence in your ability to become Zabuza. Our mission will commence on the third night, at dusk."

He continued to grin at Kurenai until he felt the first droplet of rain fall on his nose. Naruto, Kurenai, and Haku looked up at the sky as a downpour of rain suddenly fell on them. The blond growled slightly when he heard shouts of annoyance in the background, and he ran back to the clearing.

"All right, you lazy bums! Get back to training! Kurenai, Haku, let's go! Beginning Set A, now! Kakashi and Sakura, take a break! We've got a lot of work to do, and the rain is _not _going to stop us! Let's go, let's go!"

* * *

Night of Second Day

The moon was high in the sky as the shinobi slept in their designated rooms, Naruto asleep beside Sakura and Sasuke in his place next to Hinata, and the other ninja scattered across the room. Not one of these skilled killers twitched when the bedroom door slowly opened, each one having been exhausted from the training over the past couple of days. The small figure crept in slowly, coming up the right side of Sakura and looking down at her. The object he had in his hands glinted in the incoming moonlight as he held it high over his head. He closed his eyes as he brought the weapon smashing down into the sleeping figure of Sakura.

He was surprised to see a puffs of clouds swirling around him and he looked down to see that there was no one present where he'd slammed down the knife. The lights flickered on and he looked around the room, seeing everyone staring down at him with annoyed expressions. Naruto walked forward and picked up the knife, measuring it from every angle.

"I'll forget this disservice," he began softly, his eyes still focused on the glinting steel, "if you leave this room without a word. Now."

Inari continued to stare at Naruto before gritting his teeth. "I'm not leaving this room! It doesn't even belong to you! Besides, I should kill her for killing that guy's father!"

"Don't be a child," said Sasuke, yawning slightly. "Killing someone else in vengeance won't do shit for you. Besides, if Haku wants to kill Sakura, he'd do it himself and not enlist the help of a nine-year-old."

"I'm eight!"

"Oops. Overestimated you. Sorry."

"Whatever!" shouted Inari, balling his hands into fists. "You all should just leave!"

Kiba scratched behind his right ear, yawning loudly. "What's your problem, kid? We're here to help you. You should be overjoyed we're taking the time to go and kill some old, bald guy."

"He has hair," said Naruto flippantly.

Kiba looked over at him. "What, really?"

"_Whatever_! Look, I don't want this town feeling even worse because some stupid, ninja kids got themselves killed! When that happens, Mom and Grandpa will feel even worse than before! And it'll be all your fault!"

Two tears fell down Inari's face as he dropped his head, sniffling all the while. "H-he tried to do what you're doing now…and they killed him! That stupid Gatoh killed him! I…I hate that guy!"

When Inari lifted his eyes, Naruto noted their fierceness, and smiled inwardly. _The kid has more of a spine this time around._

Inari ran up to Naruto and began throwing his fists at the latter's chest, tears still falling down his face. "I don't want my mom to feel like that again! I don't want my grandpa to feel like that again! I don't want to feel like that again! Stop giving us hope! Stop making us feel…feel like we can have good lives again! Please, just…"

Inari felt himself slide down to the floor, his body trembling from his crying. Naruto knelt down in front of the boy, and patted the latter's head.

"So," began Naruto, smiling softly. "What are you going to do to make that feeling real?"

Inari shifted his gaze up to the older blond's, eyes wide with confusion. "Huh?"

"Are you going to let that hope die again? You want your mom feeling like she did when Kaiza died? What about your grandpa if his bridge idea fails? You want him to feel helpless and like he can't live anymore? And what about you? Do you want to feel like a little kid that can't do anything at all again?"

The little boy's black eyes shifted slightly and he narrowed them. "No! I want to protect my mom and grandpa! I want to become stronger!"

"Oh my God, _finally_!" muttered Sasuke, running his hands through his hair. "I was about to kick him out the door. Time for some sleep!"

Inari glared at Sasuke who pointedly ignored the boy. Naruto chuckled. "Yeah, I agree with him, kind of. We need some serious sleep. Big day tomorrow."

"Oh, okay," conceded Inari, backing out of the room as all the shinobi went back to their sleeping places. He reached up to turn the light off, and while doing so, asked, "Are you leaving after tomorrow?"

"After the bridge gets done," came a lazy reply.

The young boy continued looking at the shinobi through the dark, and hesitantly asked, "Can you really defeat Gatoh?"

"That's the plan," came another reply. "Go to sleep, Inari."

Nodding, Inari bid them a good night.

* * *

Hours later, Naruto woke up quickly, his eyes dashing back and forth in the dark room. He wasn't even quite sure why he'd woken either, but just that something had forced him to an awakened state. The blond rubbed his forehead in confusion, and furrowed his eyebrows at his current predicament. Having been suddenly awakened, Naruto leaned back on his futon and crossed his arms behind his head, frowning. The vessel glanced over amusedly at Sakura, who had snuggled closer to him, but sighed when he realized he wouldn't be going back to sleep.

_My nerves must be shot_, he thought. _Even though this is only Gatoh we're dealing with, I suppose I'm worried that he'll be overly powerful, too. I am very worried over how large his army exactly is, and whether we'll have to cut corners when fighting them. I'm also kind of worried about the villagers. Will they be okay while we're off dealing with Gatoh? But wait – Shino, Kiba, Sakura, Sasuke, Hinata, and Kakashi will still be here to protect everyone… I'll have to ask them to station themselves over the length of the entire village._

_Now that I think about it…this overly heightened power is definitely disturbing. How strong will Orochimaru be, exactly? And Akatsuki? Will they come into play around the same time as before, or do we have to prepare for a difference as far as that goes, as well? If they really are a lot more powerful than the first time around, I'll have to enlist Team Ten's help a lot sooner than I had originally planned for. I'm kind of worried about that just because I don't want Shikamaru suddenly figuring out about our time traveling. Though I guess it doesn't really matter since they're going to have to find out at some point. I shouldn't worry._

_I still don't know why I woke up so randomly._

He gently pushed off Sakura and moved to stand up. Straightening to his full height, Naruto ran both his hands through his hair, and walked out of the room. Moving down the stairs quickly and silently, Hokage-to-be touched the ground floor without a sound. His cornflower-blue eyes shifted back and forth through the darkness yet again. Why had he woken up, if nothing seemed amiss?

Naruto made his way through the living room, the kitchen, dining area, and the foyer in front of the front door without incident. Slipping his sandals on, the young man walked outside and took in a deep breath as he looked at the large, pearl-white moon from where he stood on the porch. Tilting his head, the blond jumped into the lush grass, and took in another deep breath of fresh air.

"Ah, this weather feels great!"

"I think it's a bit humid, actually…"

The young man spun around at the second voice, his eyes searching for who had spoken. Tilting his head back, he saw Kurenai smiling at him from where she was perched on the roof. Surprised, Naruto grinned back and vanished, only reappearing right next to her.

"Late night bird-watching?"

"Hmm, I wouldn't say that," Kurenai murmured, leaning back on the roof tiles. "What you've told us about the power level difference between the Zabuza you ran into before, and the one we just fought has worried me greatly. And having come from another village myself, I have never met Orochimaru…only heard of his exploits. Knowing he did what he did to Anko angers me, and I feel uncontrollable hatred towards this man…but if what you say is true, and he is mysteriously stronger than should be, then I fear for my best friend. Actually, I'm… I'm scared to no small degree. Anko may have a strong front when in company with the village, but alone, she is a fragile woman. More fragile than you may believe."

Naruto frowned at the older woman, and narrowed his eyes slightly. "Fragile?"

"She, too," continued blood-red-eyed woman, "was an orphan, Naruto. However, unlike you, and perhaps, more unluckily than you, she knew her parents. She knew precisely who they were, and so did the rest of the village."

"Were they bad?"

"The Mitarashi clan was well-known for their violence and hostility – another reason why people are very uneasy when associating with Anko."

Naruto turned away from Kurenai, his heart heavy as he considered the woman's words. He had to be honest and admit that he really didn't know anything about the snake mistress, other than the fact that she had scared the hell out of him in the Chuunin Exams. He had originally thought her loud, boisterous, and wanting for blood, and had never really considered her anything otherwise. Naruto had never considered her to be carrying the same mask he did, day after day, week after week…

"So," he began slowly, "why did you say she was unlucky to know her family? Isn't being able to know who brought you into the world a good thing? If I could have seen my parents, and been able to talk to them, I'm sure I would have been really happy. I can't help but think she's really lucky."

Kurenai gave him a wistful smile, and shifted her eyes back up to the large moon in the sky. "The grass is always greener on the other side. While her mother, I've been told, had been a strong woman and loved and admired throughout the entire village, her father had been everything but. He had married into the family, had been given the name Mitarashi and had been thought to be someone who would steer the Mitarashi clan in the best direction possible. Turns out, everyone was wrong.

"The man's initial name had been Bikarin Porererin–"

"That's a really weird name," interrupted Naruto.

"It was only an alias. No one knows what his true name was, and his village was so small, it was inconsequential. I'm not too knowledgeable on the details but, I had heard there were these men were castoffs from the war long before, between the Senju clan and the Uchiha clan. They were degenerates that didn't carry any bloodlines, and were therefore considered worthless in the olden days. A village was built and it housed all those degenerates. I'm not sure why, but it was years before they finally decided to strike. I suppose it took that long for them to figure out a plan to easily invade our boundaries."

"So, how did he get in?"

"I'm not sure about that either. I never thought to ask Anko since it was a sore subject with her. The main point of the whole matter is that her father was, in essence, a spy for another village and sent to tear Konoha down from the inside out. It makes sense to target the Mitarashi, I suppose, since they were considered even more arrogant than the Uchiha, but I can only thank the Heavens that they were such stupid people. What's unfortunate, was we never found out how smart they actually could be until it was too late."

Naruto felt his body tense slightly at the foreboding he'd gotten from her last statement. "What do you mean?" he asked softly. "What happened?"

Kurenai looked at him, smiled softly, and whispered, "A few weeks after the village had been eradicated, and everyone, including Porererin had been killed, people from the Mitarashi clan suddenly began to die."

Shock hit Naruto hard and he stared at Kurenai with disbelief. "What? They just suddenly started dying out of nowhere? Was the clan house laced with poison or something? How'd that happen? Did everyone get poisoned? What about Anko?"

"That's what's so mysterious about it – no one really knows what happened. Tsunade-sama at one point considered a poisonous gas, but Anko hadn't been touched. Then people assumed food, but Anko would've been eating the same exact dishes. Others considered that maybe Anko had taken on a demon inside of her and killed everyone herself."

""What!" yelled Naruto loudly, completely outraged. "She was just a kid back then! How could they blame her for something like that?"

Kurenai stared over at him, her face slack with surprise. Slowly, her eyes grew warmer, and she smiled softly at him, much to the boy's confusion. Turning away, she continued:

"I'm not all too clear on what they had deduced as the final conclusion, but, it wasn't that incident that turned people away from the Mitarashi clan for good. It was the scene of Mitarashi Chihasa, the mother of Anko – the kind, loving woman that everyone enjoyed being with – with a kunai in her hands as she slit the throat of all her fellow clansmen."

She took a deep breath, and swallowed slowly, keeping her eyes closed as she said, "The ones that had not died by the mysterious poison, were killed at her very hands. And Anko had seen it all done right in front of her."

The Kyuubi vessel's face drained of color, and he felt himself grow queasy. To have seen the rest of her family murdered, right in front of her eyes…

Taking in deep breaths, Naruto quickly thought about how similar Anko was to Sasuke in that retrospect. Shakily, he shifted his gaze back over to Kurenai, who chose not to glance back at him.

"You may think her situation is similar to the Uchiha boy's, but you're quite mistaken," she murmured softly. "Unlike Itachi, whose motives are still unknown to this day, Chihasa had done this all for the sake of her young, five-year-old child. 'Kill the poison before it kills my child,' Chihasa had stated when the ANBU had arrived. Chihasa had known that Anko had somehow been saved, but could still contract the poison-induced death while the rest of the clan members were alive. With that last line, Mitarashi Chihasa was killed, and what had been a prominent forty-to-fifty member clan, had suddenly dwindled to just one.

"Because of that, people never treated Anko quite the same way. They looked at her as a devil's child, and the one that had survived something that should have been nigh impossible. She was then an orphan, her clan gone in an instant, and left with nothing but hatred and disgust from the rest of the village. Admittedly, for such a background, it's amazing she turned out as sane as she did."

"While Sasuke was hailed as the last Uchiha, Anko was looked down upon with disdain," muttered Naruto. "She knew her parents, and they were the very same whom she had loved, and been disgraced by."

He dropped his head into his hands, and Kurenai sighed softly. "I don't know why I told you all of that, but thank you for listening," she whispered. "I'd held that story within for a long time, without being able to tell anyone. I didn't trust anyone to not try to hurt Anko because of it."

Naruto nodded slowly, and leaned back on the roof tiles beside Kurenai. "How'd you know all that? It seems like you know everything about everything."

"Being a genjutsu specialist isn't only about your senses, Naruto," she said admonishingly. "You must also be able to know the past, present, and could-be future. Genjutsu is also especially about knowledge. The more knowledge you possess, the better off you will be in the end. The more you have to hold over your enemy's hand, the longer you will stay alive."

Naruto tilted his head slightly, squinting his eyes as he thought about what Kurenai had just told him. "Yeah, I guess…"

The older woman let out a heavy sigh and stood up slowly on the roof. Looking down at Naruto's piercing-blue eyes, she shook her head. "You requested that I help you learn genjutsu. However, I can't help you until you help yourself. For the next few weeks, I want you to pay very close attention to your surroundings, and the people you associate yourself with. Learn about them. Understand them. Relate to them. When it comes to the point where you can talk about them like you can talk about yourself, you are almost ready to learn genjutsu. When you can go around a foreign area and know it like you know your own home, you are far closer to being ready to learn genjutsu. When it has come to the point where you understand the real difference between the past, present, and future, then you are completely prepared to begin the journey to mastering genjutsu.

"Until then," she said, nodding and giving a slight bow, "I bid you a good night."

She turned to jump off the roof, but then looked back at the bewildered blond, and gave him a slow, small, radiant smile.

"And thank you, Uzumaki Naruto, for listening. Thank you."

* * *

The dawn of dusk that night centered around three figures traipsing through the woods in the dark, each exuding a large amount of tension as they neared a large mansion surrounded by more than five hundred armed men. A large man shoved forward a young blond boy, his dark-brown eyes focused intently on the two guarding the main entrance. Another young effeminate man came forward, taking a guard position in front of the larger man. One guard stepped in front of the young man, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Finally returned? Lousy good-for-nothing ninjas."

Haku narrowed his eyes, and whipped a senbon out, holding it up to the other man's neck. "Your words are unnecessary. Grant us entrance. Zabuza-sama has returned."

The guard stared down at the senbon, and took a step back before noticing the blond tied up beside Haku. "Oh, what's this?" he asked, picking up the blond by his collar. Grinning, the guard shook the boy back and forth. "A ninja? From Konoha even? Well done. Gatoh will pay you whatever this guy is worth. Though it doesn't seem like much."

Haku glared icily at the guard, and swiftly spun around, launching a spinning back kick at the guard and throwing him away a few feet. "Do not sully the prisoner with your grimy hands," he said reproachfully. "Gatoh will want him in excellent condition."

Turning around, he looked up at the larger man, and nodded. "Zabuza-sama, we must hurry. Gatoh is expecting us."

Momochi Zabuza hefted up the blond boy on his shoulder, and cocked his head to the side. "Lead on, Haku."

"Yes, Zabuza-sama."

Haku pushed aside both the guards and the large, front doors. His face baring a cool, calm expression, the young man led his older partner down a series of corridors for what seemed like five to ten minutes. Not too long after, Haku turned down a large, long corridor with a set of double-doors at the end. Upon reaching the doors, he knocked on one, and when granted entrance, he and his partner walked in swiftly. The door closed quickly behind them, and Zabuza shrugged off the boy on his shoulder, dropping him to the floor without a second thought. The blond quickly jumped to his feet, muttering obscenities under his breath.

"As commanded," Haku began, "Zabuza-sama and I have returned from killing the Konoha ninjas. As proof, we have taken one of the enemy ninja under capture, and offer him to you, in exchange for a greater reward."

Gatoh, a short, pudgy, old man with sunglasses and a greedy grin on his face, stood up from where he sat and moved around his desk to stare at the blond ninja glaring back at him. "Oh, so this is what one of the scavengers…looks…like…?"

Gatoh ended his sentence softly in a whisper as he looked at the kunai stuck into his chest, and then back at the cornflower-blue eyes openly mocking his shock. The pudgy man slowly reached for the kunai in his chest, and forced out,

"Who…are…you?"

A menacing grin crossed the blond's face. "Uzumaki Naruto, at your service. Jig's up. Time to get this show on the road!"

The sound of two thumps behind him brought him back to reality and he lifted up a mini-radio to his mouth.

"All hands on deck! Let's bring these puppies to their makers!"

Shouts of boisterous agreement and laughter met his order and he turned around to grin at Yuuhi Kurenai and Haku.

"Well," he said. "Let's go."

* * *

A few days passed after the Gatoh Incidental Murder – or so Naruto liked to call it – before the bridge was finished in all its entirety. The days of peace had been complete with a festival of good tidings, named the Oncoming of Stormy Faith for both the rough weather experienced in the time the Konoha ninja were present, and the less-than-lovely feelings concerning Gatoh. All of the ninjas from Konoha had been invited for a free buffet from the residents of the Land of the Wave, and had eaten until the village was satisfied. Toys were bought and won, and games were played and sometimes lost, and all present had a good time.

The times when the ninjas were not having fun, they were either training to exhaustion or spending time with Tazuna and his family. Inari especially became good friends with Naruto and Kiba, he loving their exuberant personality, and they appreciating his change of nature. Haku, too, grew to become very close friends Sakura and Hinata, all three enjoying the medical aspect of the shinobi work, and the act of saving carried more fruition than that of fighting.

Perhaps too soon, the time for everyone to leave came, and as the Konoha ninja took their first step off of the newly built bridge, the turned around to greet the entire village that had followed them across.

Naruto stepped forward, a smile wide on his face as he walked up to Tazuna. Giving the older man a hard look, the blond chuckled. "We've saved your land, so don't go causing a mess when we leave."

Tazuna grinned as well, and patted Naruto on the head. "We appreciate your hard work. Recently, we recovered Gatoh's bank statements, and we are already setting up a trial to try and get our money back. Don't worry, Naruto. Your actions will not have been in vain."

"That's good to hear," Naruto said as he walked back towards his group. Tilting his head slightly, he turned around again and asked,

"By the way… What are you going to name the bridge?"

Surprised, Tazuna looked at his daughter Tsunami before turning back to the group. "Well, I've been thinking of something for a while, and I think it fits!"

Sakura glanced at Naruto's eager face and rolled her eyes. Taking a deep breath, Tazuna said, "The name for our newly constructed bridge is: 'The Grace of Konoha'. So, what do you think?"

Sasuke and Sakura took one look at Naruto's crestfallen face and burst into laughter. The Wave citizens stared at the trio in confusion, and Naruto forced a grin. "Hey, sounds great.

"Well," he continued. "We'll be leaving now. To you all, we hope you'll take care!"

Both Team Seven, Team Eight, and Haku – who had agreed to become a shinobi of Konoha – turned around to begin their journey home, each footfall bringing both relief and a sense of sadness. No one dared to turn around at the sound of sniffles, or when the resident children shouted for them to come back and stay longer. Not until the trees hid the bridge and small island from sight did the ninja breathe more easily, and feel their conscious's fade away into the back of their minds.

The trip back was quiet and no battles were fought by any rogue ninjas. However, even though the trip was easygoing, one could see each ninja relax as soon as they stepped foot within the large gates of Konoha. Kakashi pulled out his Icha, Icha Paradise, much to the disgust of Kurenai, and began giggling happily as he read it. Hinata, Kiba, and Shino looked at Kakashi with disturbed expressions as they saw him blush and sway slightly. Hinata moved close to Sasuke, whispering,

"Has he always done that?"

"Forever and a day," deadpanned Sasuke. "It's something you have to get used to, unfortunately."

"Welcome to the hell of Team Seven," muttered Sakura, her eyes squinted tightly in annoyance – a trait she had recently developed from being in the constant presence of Naruto. "At least he hasn't reached the second stage."

Kiba turned his head towards the pink-haired girl after that last comment. "Wait, what second stage? He does more than giggle?"

Naruto coughed slightly before muttering, "Kakashi nearly lost his pride and joy after that incident in the future…past…our past… Whatever."

Kiba, Shino, Hinata, and Sasuke quickly spun their heads around to stare at Sakura, and she did nothing but ignore them. Looking back at them, Sakura frowned. "I don't want to see _that_ part of any guy's anatomy – except Naruto's in the future, maybe – ever. If I even see a hump, I'll bash it. You know that little kid's game where you hit the moles with a mallet? Well, there you go."

Kiba, Shino, Sasuke, and Naruto all paled, and turned over to look at Kakashi who was still happily giggling. Haku blinked at them owlishly from his place on the other side of Kakashi, frowning as he tried to figure out what they were all so frightened of.

The entire group shifted over to the guard patrol station present not too far from the main entrance. As Kurenai, Haku, Kakashi – after hiding his book –, and their two teams walked up the station, Kamizuki Izumo and Hagane Kotetsu trained Haku with wary gazes before smiling over at Kakashi, Kurenai, and the two teams. Both Kakashi and Kurenai reached into their pouches and pulled out scrolls of identification, detailing both jounin and present genin. When Izumo peered over at Haku, his eyes widened as he saw the hitai-ate on the boy's forehead.

"A Kuri-nin!" he exclaimed, racing to get a couple of kunai alongside of Kotetsu.

Haku looked surprised when the two suddenly jumped over the table and raced towards him. He was yet again surprised to see Kurenai and Kakashi jump in for his sake and stop the two chuunin. Kakashi swirled Kotetsu around and pushed him to the ground, shifting a foot at the back of the chuunin's neck. Izumo, himself, had been trapped in a genjutsu and now stood still as Kurenai hovered a kunai near his neck.

Naruto frowned at the two jounin before glaring at Haku as he forcefully pulled off the older boy's hitai-ate. "Are you trying to make trouble?" he muttered, slamming the forehead protector in Haku's hands. "Thought you were converting."

Haku looked at Naruto and rubbed the back of his sheepishly. "I suppose I forgot I had it on. My apologies."

"So even he makes mistakes?" murmured Kiba with a frown. "Guess he is human, after all."

Kakashi pushed his foot down on Kotetsu's neck a bit harder, asking, "You plan to let us explain, or are you going to rush in again like a fool?"

After hearing a grunt for a consent, Kakashi hauled the other man up and walked over to stand beside Haku. Placing a hand on the younger man's shoulder, he said, "This is Momochi Haku – no village affiliation. He was under the care of Momochi Zabuza, and that is why he has a Kirigakure hitai-ate. However, he has agreed to convert over to being under Konoha's rule, thus making him an ally. I want one of you to secure us an appointment, so we won't have to wait on getting his papers underway."

Izumo let out a sigh of relief when Kurenai shifted away the kunai and frowned as she walked back over to the group. Counting his blessings, he slowly sauntered up next to Kotetsu and bowed his head.

"Understood," he said. "I will go make sure Hokage-sama has time scheduled for you."

As soon as the man had disappeared, Naruto sighed softly, causing the others to look at him.

"And now," he said, walking off in the direction of the Hokage Tower, "the hard part begins."

* * *

Half an hour later, Kakashi, Kurenai, their two teams and Haku were standing at attention in front of Sarutobi Hiruzen. The Sandaime exhaled softly as he looked at the reports previously given to him. Kiba shifted uncomfortably as the Hokage eyed each genin before looking back at the papers. Shifting a paper to the back of the pile, the old man proceeded to start reading the page now in the front. The nine people standing at attention continued to do so for twenty more minutes before the Hokage laid down his pile of reports and graced them with a serious expression.

"Let us review these reports, shall we?" he asked softly, picking up his pipe and lighting it. "Team Seven, during their escorting of the bridge builder Tazuna, went up against Momochi Zabuza of the Kirigakure, alongside of this young man. Haku, was it? In addition, Team Eight happened to intervene just as soon as the fight had begun. I assume this is the reason for why you wished for me to grant you and your team allowance to assist Team Seven on their first C-Ranked mission?" he finished, puffing his pipe.

Kurenai tensed, but nodded her head. "Yes, Hokage-sama."

"Indeed. And how, Yuuhi Kurenai, did you know to accompany Team Seven on their mission?"

The young woman stiffened slightly, and swallowed slowly. "I felt that Team Seven was not yet up to the task to efficiently complete the mission, and so felt…"

"And so you felt the need to usurp my authority and take your team on their mission as well."

Kurenai's blood-red eyes widened. "I did not intend for such a thing, Hokage-sama!"

Clearing his throat, Sarutobi frowned at the jounin. "And yet, that is precisely what you did. I wonder if I should take you off duty for such an irresponsible act. To be honest, I expected more of you, Kurenai-san."

Her face paled slightly and Kakashi cleared his throat, earning everyone's attention. "Actually, Hokage-sama, I was the one who described the contents of our mission to her."

The Hokage's eyebrows lifted perceptively, his surprise apparent all over his features. "You, Kakashi-san? I would have expected you to be more diligent in your duties. A jounin for thirteen years, part of the ANBU squad, even elevating up to captain rank… I am sincerely disappointed in you."

"Be that as it may, Hokage-sama, I did have my reasons."

"Enlighten me."

Kakashi closed his eyes while lowering his head slightly. "Something about what Tazuna had requested seemed fishy. The Land of the Waves is not a far off country, yet he wanted an escort? He is not considered to be a famed citizen, so why such a need? I felt there was something amiss with his statements, and asked for back-up just in case."

Sarutobi stroked his beard gently, but nodded slowly. "I see. However, why call upon a junior jounin and a fresh squad rather than ask for more experienced help?"

The silver-haired jounin tensed slightly, but otherwise made no other movements. "I trust Kurenai, and felt her skills would be best suited for something like this. Also, since her team's specialty is reconnaissance, that definitely seemed the best viable option. Team Ten is too low-level to be very good with assassination at the moment."

_I hate lying like this_, he thought fiercely. _If the future weren't at stake, I would never have agreed to such terms!_

"Why not Maito Gai's team instead?"

"Not to be rude, Hokage-sama, but do you honestly think I would have lasted very long were he doing the mission with me?"

The older man chuckled, and let out a large sigh. Setting down his pipe, he shuffled through more papers. Gazing around the entire desk, his eyes alit when he saw a scroll in the upper right hand corner. Both Kakashi and Kurenai narrowed their eyes slightly when they saw him unroll the scroll and sign his name at the bottom. After the Sandaime had stamped the scroll as well, he held it out to Kakashi, who took it without hesitation. When he looked up at the old man with confusion, Sarutobi nodded slightly.

"Though I realize you just got back, considering the success of your previous mission, I would like you to attend to this mission as well. It is also considered C-Rank, but shouldn't float up to A-Rank anytime soon."

The silver-haired man frowned at the scroll, quickly glanced at Kurenai, and then looked back at the older man with an unwavering gaze. "I would also like Kurenai and her team to attend this mission with me."

Sarutobi's eyebrows rose, and he frowned. "Yet again? Do you not feel competent enough to handle this with your team alone?"

"Actually, if I may, Hokage-sama?" interjected Kurenai softly. "Kakashi-san and I spoke previously and wondered if it were possible for our teams to be joined together, as a single unit. Of course, we can still split up into two teams, but instead of having the set three as before, we could switch out members depending on the missions required."

Having caught his attention, Kurenai plunged forward: "For higher ranked missions, Team Eight and Seven would merge together, forming a new team altogether. For separate missions, we could choose the members that would best fit the task. Having a specialized team is all well and good, Hokage-sama, but having a team where there are many options is much more fitting, wouldn't you say?"

"How often would these two teams be merged?"

Kurenai frowned slightly. "For all time, Hokage-sama. Only split when deemed necessary. Over the course of this last mission, I have seen the two teams bonding very closely together. I do not wish to tear them apart, and risk an inefficient mission."

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned softly, and picked up his pipe yet again. Gently shifting it back and forth between his thumb and forefinger, he thought about what she had told him. As he took a puff of the pipe, he let out a soft sigh, and looked up at the female jounin.

"While I understand your concern, Kurenai, please do understand that the very point of splitting the children up in the first place was to allow them the chance to operate as a unit without heavy reliance on anyone else. A three-man team, as opposed to a six-man team, is definitely more convenient, and allows you, the jounin, more time with each person on a one-to-one basis. If there were even a chance of producing a six-man team, how would you go about it? Kage Bunshin, perhaps? A good idea in theory, but even both you and Kakashi combined do not carry enough chakra to do a constant practice of that every day.

"And let's think of an instance in which you may disagree in concern to what I've said. What would happen if you were out on a mission, and both of you were incapacitated? Then, instead of having three genin on your conscious, you would have six. Instead of allowing three people to die, you would have six dead. Regardless, neither number is suitable in any circumstance, but I'm sure you understand where I'm going here."

Seeing both Kakashi and Kurenai tense slightly, as well as a few of the genin, he inwardly sighed once again. "However," he continued, noticing both jounin look up slightly, "procedure without practice goes no further than simple experimentation. Considering the success rate of your last mission, I will allow you to carry a six-man team this once. Based on the results of this…test, we will see whether a bigger, more flexible unit is more passable than a smaller, fixed unit. This is my final decision on the matter. Anymore arguments to be brought to my attention?"

When his question met with silence, he cleared his throat and took another puff of his pipe. "Very well then. Then let us move on to the briefing of your mission. As a six-man cell, you will be traveling to the Land of Snow. Your task is to successfully annihilate the Firosu squad in the eastern quadrant of the country. The squadron is comprised of twenty genin-level combatants, two chuunin-level, and two jounin-level."

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura's eyes widened at the news. Falling out of attention, Naruto ran up to the Sandaime's desk. "Not that I'm not happy, but," he began, grinning widely, "that doesn't seem like a C-Rank mission."

"Well observed, Naruto-kun," Sarutobi said with a small smile. "Originally, I had planned on giving Team Seven an escort and protection mission, but due to your growth in size, I have decided a higher level mission may be more suitable for you. Due to the jounin you will be fighting, your mission has been increased to A-Rank. I believe Team Ten would probably be better off with the escort and protection mission. They need the experience anyway."

_Team Ten is going to protect Koyuki this time around?_ thought Naruto, frowning as he looked back at the kind, old man who had raised him in his younger years.

Turning back to look at Sasuke and Sakura, and a slightly confused Hinata, he tilted his head slightly, silently asking if they were all right with the way things were going. Sasuke merely shifted his eyes away, and Sakura smiled softly. Hinata, completely unaware of why this was such a big deal, merely turned her confused gaze to the blond. A slow grin made its way across his face and he turned back to the Sandaime, saluting and shouting, "_All right_! This will be awesome! I get to kick around a bunch of high level ninjas! They'll soon know the wrath of Uzumaki Naruto! And Team…"

Blanking out slightly, Naruto turned around and looked at his teammates. "Hey, what's our team name now?"

"I believed it only a matter of time until you decided to ask," replied Shino in a soft voice. "I have already designed a name suitable to our team. Would you care to hear it?"

Grinning, Naruto gave Shino a thumbs-up. "All ears!"

"Yuushain."

Everyone turned to look at Shino, surprise on their faces. "Yuushain," repeated Naruto questioningly. "Why Yuushain?"

"Seemed rather fitting, I thought. If it is not to your liking, I can certainly come up with something else."

"No," the blond replied softly. "I think it's a great name. All right, so, Team Yuushain."

Kakashi cleared his throat softly, and looked at the Hokage with a serious expression. "All right. Since that's settled, we'll be moving out as soon as our weapon and food supplies are sufficient. By your leave, Hokage-sama."

He, along with all the other ninja present, bowed to Sarutobi and slowly walked out of the room.

* * *

Makyou Hyou Shou – Demonic Ice Mirrors  
Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu – Water Clone Technique  
Kage Bunshin no Jutsu – Shadow Clone Technique  
Yuushain – Brave/Heroic Employees

First completion: 10/30/2008 4:18:29 PM

* * *

Tell me how you like it. Comments, complaints...whichever, and whatever.


	7. Chapter 7

All right, firstly...let me say that I do realize I haven't updated for...five months, four months now. And now, I'm giving you some little short thing to read. Sorry about that. This chapter was hard to begin, keep going...and once I got to the place I wanted to get to, I found out that it'd be like a 20k chapter before I was finished. Eheh...not again. So, you have this. Sorry again.

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

Chapter Seven

As soon as the door closed shut, Hiruzen Sarutobi narrowed his eyes slightly, frowning at the paperwork on his desk. Once again, he had been presented with a problem, and Naruto was right in the middle of it, as usual. Now, however, he had been given several things to begin considering over – his two jounin, recent events, and their candidate for citizenry and possibly a ranking as a shinobi. Taking a puff of his pipe, he let out a deep sigh and curled his left hand into a fist.

There was something going on with Team Eight and Seven, but he didn't have near enough information to come to a logical conclusion. First there was the merging of the two teams, which was enough to cause him deep suspicion. The three-man rule had been practiced since the very beginning of Konoha's establishment, as two-man and four-man teams were ridiculous for the formulation of tasks and services. Though having such flexibility could be welcoming at times, it lacked the structure and strict teachings the younger shinobi needed in order to prosper into capable ninja. Going along that line of thinking, now he had to wonder about the genin themselves – Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura, Inuzuka Kiba, Aburame Shino, and Hyuuga Hinata.

While he knew Naruto to be a boisterous boy with an easygoing façade and a dark past, he now had to wonder if what he knew was simply just a ruse all and in itself. However, Hiruzen was quite certain Naruto had never developed any close relationships with anyone in his class, much less the other loner, Sasuke, and especially the famed clans of the Aburame and Hyuuga. It seemed that Hyuuga Hiashi had not yet gained wind of the news just yet, which suited him just fine. Although the Sandaime was happy for Naruto and his success of making friends so quickly, it seemed a bit…too quickly given the circumstances. Plus, his ANBU had given him several reports detailing many sightings of the young vessel and Haruno Sakura together on various occasions. The last he had heard, the young Haruno had set her eyes on the last Uchiha, much to the boy's distress.

In addition to that, several sightings of the young Uchiha and Hyuuga had also been witnessed by his information squadron. Three and one half months before, the two children had never even seemed to notice one another, and now they were walking together and laughing as if they had done it for years. The old Hokage narrowed his eyes slightly, and thought back on the two team's jounin instructors. They, like the children, had changed quickly.

As far as he had been aware, Hatake Kakashi and Yuuhi Kurenai had never gotten along well, ever since the female jounin had first arrived in their village. Her standards of how a ninja should act clashed greatly with Kakashi's general nature – promptness, attitude, the will to work…

The more Hiruzen thought over it, the more confused and annoyed he became. How could two people with completely opposite interests and methods become so close so quickly that they would want to work together for an infinite amount of time? Alongside of that, their skills were on polar ends as well – Kurenai being a genjutsu mistress and Kakashi being more of a combative ninja. Two completely opposite characters and personalities being able to work with one another with near ease…impossible for such a short time limit…

Hiruzen didn't even want to think about the young man they two teams had brought in to be accepted into their ranks…

"This is ridiculous," he muttered, putting down his pipe slowly as he lifted his narrowed eyes.

"Hawk. Falcon."

Within a few nanoseconds, two ANBU appeared before him, each kneeling down with their right fist touching the floor and head bowed. The Hokage leaned forward, resting his elbows gently on the desk and supporting his chin with his hands.

"Find Bear, Mongoose, Parakeet, and Tiger. You are to team with them and inform them of a new mission."

"What is it you would have us tell them, Hokage-sama?" asked Falcon, the ANBU's head still bowed.

"Team Seven and Eight, the newly formed Team Yuushain, are partaking in a hunt-and-kill mission in the Land of the Snow. The task is to follow them, and take note of their techniques, jutsu usage, chakra levels, character foundations, team interaction, and follow-through in the mission overall. Four of you will follow those two teams – two to a team – and the other two will keep an eye out on Team Ten, who of which will also be in that country. Pay close attention to their interactions as well as the other details I have mentioned. Send me corresponding reports detailing these specific details, and inform if Team Yuushain seeks out Team Ten at any given point.

"If such an occurrence takes place, inform me immediately. From that point on, you will pay foremost attention to the jounin. Listen closely to their conversations. Though it pains me to think as much, if there are so much as any treasonous words spoken, apprehend them all immediately."

The two ANBU's heads raised quickly, their surprise evident in their slack forms.

"Team Seven is led by the infamous Copycat Kakashi! Hokage-sama, surely you can't be…!"

"Do not question me!" Hiruzen growled out softly. "Or, do you see yourself fit to question me?"

"No, Hokage-sama!" both ANBU said quickly, each standing to attention.

"Dismissed," the Sandaime commanded, and within seconds, the two ANBU were gone.

Treason? No, he didn't think that any of the people on those three teams were capable of such, but there was something not quite right about the information he was aware of. However, such things were not fit to be stated in front of his loyal shinobi – especially if it was solely based on suspicion.

"This mission," he murmured, rising from his chair and moving to look out the window overlooking Konoha. "Something doesn't feel right…"

* * *

Naruto stood against the railing alongside Shino, his face grim as he stared across the frigid ocean waters. Whether unfortunately or not, the Aburame was the only person whom he could talk to at the moment without becoming really upset. His girlfriend Sakura, and the rest of Team Yuushain were not the best company to keep after what had happened when they had all decided to go shopping for new goods.

Unfortunately, he really should've expected that scenario to take place…but after years of being in good relations with most of the civilian and ninja community, he had long since forgotten the times where things had not always been as easy – or rather, he had tried to forget. Naruto had forgotten his rules concerning shopping, eating, walking around town, and other miscellaneous things that most took for granted. He had forgotten that whenever he went shopping, there was always a sudden inflation in prices, for some odd reason, but then a sale would take place as soon as he left. He had also forgotten about how when he chose specific weaponry, or armor, that the salesclerk would suddenly tell him that those items were _not_ for sale, even though another ninja could come right up and buy them. For simplicity's sake, Naruto had forgotten everything that had been known to give him nightmares – it was just easier that way.

The fact that he was in the past ran through his mind again – somehow, it didn't seem as if he were, but rather that he was living in a far away dream. Of course, little things would pop up every now and then that would show he was definitely not in the future – his height, his lack of rank, his stupid, old apartment, the fact that he could not have sex with Sakura even though he'd never had it before in the first place (at least it was more probable when he was twenty), and the fact that he had lost some close relationships.

The young vessel also realized why he never went shopping with anyone else. Looking around, he saw her as she turned her green eyes towards him, the depths still darkened from her earlier fury. If she was still furious, then he knew that Sasuke, Hinata, Kiba, and surprisingly, Kurenai, and Kakashi, were no better off. Each one had reacted in different ways, but that storeowner knew that his business was practically done for. The storeowner had unknowingly pissed off five major clans, and two up-and-coming ones. Taking that into consideration, Naruto hadn't been surprised to see the older man immediately set up an "out of business" sign as soon as they had left.

With what had happened, he hadn't even wanted to take the clothes anymore, but found himself being stockpiled with outfit after outfit and armor after armor. The proprietor had even been "kind" enough to allow him the forearm brace and glove set that he had been ogling for nearly a half-hour. However, even with all of that, his friends were still very, very ticked off, and it was very hard for him to even remain on the same ship with them. The blond genin could tell Shino was angry as well, due to the rapid movement of his Kikaichuu insects, but at least the other young man wasn't ready to lash at Naruto at any given time.

As Naruto patted down his new clothing, – he'd decided to incorporate some orange into his outfit again, though it was only apparent along the seams – feeling dirty from the methods used to acquire it. He had quickly thrown away his old trousers, sandals, and V-neck shirt for a more practical, modern look. Naruto found that he enjoyed wearing a black turtleneck, long-sleeved shirt with an open vest lined with lead. His trousers were nothing exceptional, though he could unzip the bottoms off at any time and walk around in shorts. The young blond was just happy to have large pockets again, and a place to stick his utility belt. Glancing at his hands, he flexed open his fingers as he looked at the fingerless gloves. They were sewed carefully to a metal plate on the back, and were also carefully stitched to the sleek, ebony metal running along both his forearms. They were heavy, and only stayed attached via a constant supply of chakra, but they were great for defense and even allowed him to make a chakra shield.

Of course, Naruto hadn't been the only one to change his style. Sakura, he had noticed very quickly, wore something similar to when she had been a teenager in the past – future? – and was, in his opinion, very attractive. Her long hair – which she threatened to cut off almost daily – was tied up in a high ponytail, her shorter hairs framing her face, causing her to have a slightly more mature look. Sakura's not-quite-so-developed body (not that he was complaining…at all) was clothed with a high collar, white-seamed, red shirt that looked both fashionable and allowed her quick movement. It trailed down around her hips (they were widening – not that Naruto had ever noticed…really) and was held against her body by a long, white sash in which the entrails would flow gently around or behind her. Her black, knee-length scooter (similar to a skort but with the "skirt" enhancement sewed in 360 degrees instead of only in front) ebbed around her as she walked. The young man couldn't honestly say that even though he thought that kind of clothing was out of style (_way_ out), Sakura pulled it off nicely. Of course, the rosette wore her black, near knee-length boots and black leather gloves to complete the outfit.

Again, Naruto couldn't help but _love_ her skirt…thing.

Hinata, the vessel had noticed, hadn't changed her style too much from before. She still wore a conservative, lavender jacket, though it was only to cover her skin-tight black undershirt. How he had seen what was underneath, he would never tell a soul. Naruto lowered his eyes slightly, enough to see her slightly-roomy black pants that flowed over her heeled shoes. Actually, aside from the age difference (and lack of having giant boobs like before, not that he had ever noticed – no…), there really wasn't much of a change from how she had always used to dress. The attitude change must have overpowered any desire of hers to change outfits.

Sasuke, however, had switched out his high-collared t-shirt for a more mature half-length sleeved midnight-blue V-neck shirt that dipped down to the tip of his abdomen. On top of that, he wore a black sleeveless vest made of a very light material that flowed down just below his hips, tied down only by the black belt her wore around his waist. His midnight-blue pants were nothing of interest to Naruto, nor were the black sandals the Uchiha wore. Of course, the Uchiha clan symbol was prominent on the back of Sasuke's vest, but that didn't really interest Naruto either – it was old news, after all.

Kiba and Shino hadn't really changed anything about their styles – ah, to be young again – and neither had Kakashi. Kurenai, however, had quickly discarded her old style after hearing Sasuke mutter to Hinata that the genjutsu mistress looked like a big piñata looking to be hit. Now, the older woman just wore a skin-tight, red, short-sleeved shirt, long black slacks, black heels, and a flak jacket. So much for originality – Naruto had kind of liked the piñata style shirt.

Tilting his head slightly, he narrowed his eyes slightly at the oncoming harbor. Much to the supposed relief of Team Ten, Team Yuushain had helped with the earlier incident when the foreign ninjas that were after the princess attacked. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura decided against beating them as it wasn't their mission. As far as the blond was concerned, whether Koyuki would be convinced into taking her spot as queen or not was solely up to the skill of Team Ten. It wasn't his job this time around, though he would have to make sure they didn't somehow screw up and get the princess killed.

Sighing, he chuckled. Naruto knew that there was no way Nara Shikamaru would allow his client to die, and neither would Sarutobi Asuma. So, it was with a slowly forming grin on his face when Naruto turned to walk to the plank that would allow everyone to disembark from the ship. The only things, he realized, that were weighing heavily on was the overall performance of his team, and the enemies they were about to kill.

The whole situation made him very wary.

* * *

"I'm cold. And I'm hungry. Oh, and let's not forget how cold I am."

"Want some cheese with that whine of yours? Or how about I just make you unconscious to help you along…"

Kiba shut his mouth quickly, glaring over at Sakura, who did the same in turn. Her ire rose when he stuck out his tongue at her, and Naruto moved to grab her arm before she damaged their precious comrade. The rosette turned her now emerald-green over to Naruto, and he quickly leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips. Completely taken by surprise, Sakura's eyes faded quickly back to their normal leaf-green and a flush ran across her cheeks.

"He's our _friend_," teased Naruto. "Remember?"

"Y-yes," Sakura managed to stutter out, much to everyone's amusement. Clapping his left hand on her shoulder, Naruto guided her forward away from the young Inuzuka, looking back only to wink at the latter.

Kiba let out a soft chuckle, and moved to catch up with the main group.

Since Team Yuushain had split up with Team Ten three hours, before, they had each performed separate reconnaissance around the eastern part of the country. However, each member had soon discovered the island to be far larger than the original Team Seven could remember. In addition, Squadron Firosu was nowhere to be found, nor was Team Yuushain even able to identify any unknown chakra patterns. As the entire group gathered together, Kakashi slid his hands in his pockets, his one apparent eye showing complete seriousness. He first looked at Kurenai, and at her gentle nod, he turned back to the group.

"As I'm sure all of you have noticed," he began, posture tense as he continued to mentally scout for more chakra signatures, "the mission seems a bit odd. Supposedly, according to Hokage-sama, this Firosu squadron is comprised of twenty genin, two chuunin, and two jounin, or something similar to that of. What's missing in this picture? Shino? Kiba."

Kiba turned his gaze to look up at Akamaru on his head, and bared his teeth slightly. "Can't smell shit on them. Snow makes it hard enough, but I don't even smell traces of a fire, or even old urine. Akamaru can't get any scents either."

Kakashi nodded slowly, and both he and Kurenai turned their attention next to Shino, who shifted up his dark glasses slightly. Shino buried his face deeper into his high-collared jacket.

"My insects have been unable to track down any chakra signatures as well. To be quite honest, it almost seems as if there were never any traces of there being ninja here in the first place. Or, if so, it may have happened quite some time ago."

"That's true," agreed Kurenai softly, her blood-red eyes trained on the two novices. "Evidence shows that the snow has not been disturbed for quite a long time."

She turned her gaze up to Kakashi's. "During my reconnaissance, I was unable to see any shifts in the air, or any slight chakra changes. I thought, at first, that we might have just walked into a large genjutsu without knowing…which may still be true. When I sought to cancel it, nothing happened. So, either we're dealing with a wild goose chase, or very, very advanced ninjas. And if I may suggest: let us please hope for the former, because if we are, in fact, meant to fight against ninjas that can hold a genjutsu so complicated and difficult to detect for so long a time, then…"

Kakashi sighed softly, but nodded his agreement. "I thought along the same lines as you, and so tried to look around with my Sharingan. I was unable to pick up anything out of the ordinary," he ended softly, before turning over to Sasuke. "What about you?"

"No, nothing," Sasuke murmured softly, his Sharingan's three tomoe swirling wildly. "No distortion, no enhanced chakra signatures, no obvious triggers for anything. Something about this mission is a little off."

Hinata pushed more chakra into her Byakugan, the veins around her eyes enlarging as she forced herself to look farther and farther. "I'm not seeing anything," she muttered bitterly. "Forest critters, flying birds…ah."

"What's 'ah' mean?" asked Naruto immediately, with everyone else looking expectantly at Hinata. The young girl frowned, and the veins bulged further. She clicked her tongue softly, before completely deactivating the jutsu.

"Approximately two miles away, there's a small village. It's very low-key, and they live within the confines of a cave that delves underground. The population seemed to be low as well, but, they may be a decent source of information."

As soon as Hinata spoke her last words, she saw her surroundings shake violently as pain ran through her chest and around her eyes. As the pain grew around her eyes, she let out a cry that cut short as she began to fall down to the ground. Sasuke immediately was next to her, holding her in his arms as he watched her stare up at the sky in bewilderment.

"What happened?" Naruto asked anxiously, as taken aback by Hinata's sudden pain as the rest of the team.

Hinata blinked slowly at first, not quite sure what had happened at first.

"I'm…not really certain myself. I suppose I used too much chakra too quickly," she said, chuckling as she pushed herself up to standing. Sasuke made sure to stay right beside her and hold an arm around her waist.

She smiled gratefully at him and made a half-hearted grin when Sakura glared over at her. "I'm fine, I'm fine! I promise!"

"If you're sure," Kakashi started slowly, "then that's fine. Which direction is the village?"

"Northeast from here in a small coven area within some sheer, rock cliffs. Only about five minutes away if we travel by trees."

Sakura crossed her arms over her chest, and looked back at Naruto, who raised an eyebrow at her. She turned slowly, gesturing towards Hinata as she whispered softly, "I want to stay back and check on Hinata for just a bit. Why don't you go scout ahead with Kiba and Shino?"

"What?" he asked, raising his shoulders in a quick shrug. "Sakura-chan, she said she was fine. Just let her be."

"Didn't you see how much pain she was in? No matter how momentary that may have been, I want to make sure that she really isn't in any more pain."

"If she was in pain, she'd just say so," Naruto said, exasperated. "She's not a kid. I think she knows when she's in pain."

Sakura stared at him, anger causing her cheeks to begin flushing. She looked back at Hinata, who glanced over at her knowingly, before she grabbed Naruto's vest and whispered in his ear,

"I think I keep forgetting just how dense you are sometimes."

"What?" he whispered back harshly, eyes filled with confusion. "Why?"

"Haven't you noticed by now how Hinata hates voicing her true opinions?"

"Since when? She's always giving us a piece of her mind! You're just looking into this too much!"

As she released his jacket, Sakura glared at him and started turning around to walk back towards Hinata. "Pain," she whispered just barely loud enough for him to hear, "and true love are two things she would never voice to anyone."

Naruto narrowed his eyes slightly, though he still couldn't understand what Sakura had been aiming at. "Pain…and true love? She loves Sasuke…she says that all the time. Everyone can tell. What the hell's Sakura-chan aiming at?

"Come on, Shino, Kiba!" he yelled at, crouching down slowly. "Let's go!"

All three boys jumped high into the air, each landing on the nearest branch, and propelling themselves forward. Kiba and Shino both glanced over at Naruto, before looking at each other silently. All three looked up quickly as they saw tall cliffs looming closer in the distance, and Naruto noted inwardly of how correct Hinata had been.

_There's nothing wrong with her_, he thought fervently, gritting his teeth hard. _Nothing. Nothing. Nothing!_

Naruto held up his hand and upon that signal, all three boys stopped at the edge of the forest, looking over at the cave.

"It's faint, but," said Kiba as he and Akamaru began sniffing. "I can smell a definite sign of smoke coming from that cave."

Akamaru barked at Kiba a few times, and the boy nodded, turning towards Naruto. "Akamaru says he smells food. And there's some trace of someone having been here recently."

"Well, that's weird," Naruto said slowly, his eyes narrowing. "How did we miss this area?"

"There's a strong genjutsu around this area," came a voice from behind them.

All three boys looked back to see the rest of the team jumping towards them, and Naruto immediately turned to look at Kurenai, who had spoken earlier. "There was really no way of us noticing on our own," the older woman continued. "It takes a strong technique to be able to see through such a jutsu. Its very fabrication is meant for concealing. Because all its strength is geared towards that, it's really no wonder that we never found it. Luckily for us, though, we have the Byakugan on our side."

Naruto's widened slightly and he turned to look at Hinata, his eyes narrowing as he did.

"Are you all right, Hinata?"

Hinata, surprised, chuckled slightly while quickly throwing a sharp glare over at Sakura. "Yes, yes, I'm fine. Do not worry."

"If you are ever in pain again," Naruto implored vehemently, "please say so!"

Hinata shifted uncomfortably, lowering her eyes to stare down at the tree branch. "Ah, yes…"

Naruto grinned widely, causing a gentle flow of red to glide across Hinata's cheeks, and she cursed herself The blond was about to say something else when a voice rang out:

"I've…_found you_! Prepare to die by my hand! Katon: _Nanajugoku no Honou_!"

All representatives of Team Yuushain looked up as a large balls of fire came in at them from all sides. Hinata looked at Sasuke, shouting,

"Sasuke, water!"

He barely glanced at her before flying through seals and roaring out, "_Katon: Daihonou Myakudou_!"

As soon a giant wave of heat flew through the area, melting all the nearby snow, Kakashi yelled,

"Gyakusuirou no Jutsu!"

Within nanoseconds, the water from the ground flew up around Team Yuushain in a dome-shaped fashion, acting as a heavy barrier of water as the large balls of fire slammed into it. Kiba and Shino watched as layer by layer of the water shield evaporated before the balls were slowly encompassed. Naruto and Sakura both stared up at the now dissipating water dome, each feeling their heart beats slowly slow down from its earlier erratic beating. Sakura rested a hand on her chest as she breathed in deeply, before she slowly raised her head, eyes deeply narrowed.

"Whoever attacked us, show yourself now!"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes as well, his hands slipping quietly into his pants pockets. "If you don't," he continued, following Sakura's example. "Then we will destroy you. This isn't our country, so don't think we won't hesitate to destroy it just to get to you."

Naruto chuckled, lifting his hands up to rest them behind his head in a carefree manner. "Hey, Sasuke! I heard that fire and wind make a destructive combination!"

"Do they?" the Uchiha murmured questioningly. "Then it would be a shame for anyone who happened to get caught up in that, wouldn't it?"

Kakashi looked around carefully, his Sharingan uncovered for better analyzing the area. Via his eye, even despite looking around over and over again, Kakashi found that there were no chakra figures to be detected. Such discrepancies were starting to become tiresome for him, and make him slightly irritable. Turning to Naruto, he nodded slightly. "I suggest you go ahead and do whatever attack you're going to. They're not coming out. Whoever this is has an amazing control of her chakra – she can hide it from even my Sharingan."

Naruto blinked slowly and turned to look at Sasuke, who nodded in return. Sighing softly, Naruto crouched down, drew back his right hand while clenching it into a fist, and threw it forward with a spiraling force, shouting,

"Fuuton: Tatsumaki!"

At the same, Sasuke breathed in a large gulp of air and let out with a murmured,

"Katon: Karyuu Endan!"

The large blast of fire flew from Sasuke's mouth and swirled around the roaring waves of air of Naruto's Tatsumaki attack. Small sparks ignited as the fire continued to swirl around before the air seemed to start roaring from the ferocity of the combined elements. The large, fiery tornado spun rapidly through the trees, setting them ablaze almost immediately on contact, and melting the snow within seconds. Kakashi and Kurenai watched as a small girl ran out into the opening and circled her lips with a hand:

"Doton: Doryuu Heki!"

Sakura watched closely as the whirlwind of flames slammed into the earthen wall and split, flowing around it and back into the forest. As soon as the flames had dispersed from the wall, she jumped down to the ground, and flew forward, hair flying back as she readied her right fist. Her gloved fist, glowing with chakra, slammed into wall, cracking it apart as if it were a thin sheet of glass. From behind the wall, the girl widened her eyes quickly and she jumped back to keep from getting hit from mud shards.

"You're...not human!" she gasped out, flipping in a reverse somersault and landing some distance away. Sakura clenched her fist and brought it back tightly, her chakra beginning to swirl around violently. The enemy girl settled back into a fighting stance, and narrowed her eyes as she saw everything begin to darken around her.

"W-what?"

The last thing she saw was Sakura's eyes glinting a deadly sheen.

Some time later, the girl's ocean-blue eyes slowly opened, and as soon as she tried to move, she found herself tied down tightly to the ground. She grunted heavily as she struggled to raise up her wrists, and bit her lips hard.

"Stop struggling…or you'll hurt yourself."

Jerking with surprise, she turned her head over to see a small, blond boy with cornflower-blue eyes staring down at her. His arms were crossed over his chest and he didn't look all too happy as they locked gazes with one another.

"Who are you?" she asked bitingly. "Why have you imprisoned me?"

He lifted an eyebrow at her, and she noticed five more people walk over – along with a dog? – and look down at her. Taking note of his companions, she noticed a black-haired boy and girl, – or perhaps her hair was blue? – and two boys each with heavy jackets, though one wore sunglasses, and the other had the dog. Then, she noticed the pink-haired girl, and anger flared through her.

"You! You are the one who caused me to see black!"

Sakura's face blanked slightly as she repeated, "…'Caused you to see black?' That would be genjutsu, which I suppose isn't your forté…"

"Still doesn't answer our initial questions, though," Sasuke quietly said, his eyes' depths frozen. "Though no one asked, I guess I will. Who are you, who are you working for, and why did you attack us? And don't think being a girl will get you out of your binding.

The girl glared at Sasuke, her eyes narrowing sharply. "My name…I go by Monami. Tsuruzu Monami. I am a ninja of my own right – bound to no village! And I attacked you because…I thought you were _them_!" she spat out.

"Them?" asked Shino quietly.

"Yes, them," she conceded bitterly. "They who killed my entire village…everyone except me! And I was only spared because I was on a mission! I was in line to be the leader of my village! Now, I don't have a village to lead! All because of _them_!

"And by them," Monami softly drawled out, "I, of course, mean the ANBU squad… But, I suppose they go by the name Firosu now."

All of the postures of Team Seven straightened quickly upon hearing the word, "Firosu." So Firosu really existed? Then…where we they, and why couldn't Team Yuushain find any sign of them?

* * *

Katon: Nanajugoku no Honou – Fire Release: Flame of the Seven Hells  
Katon: Daihonou Myakudou – Fire Release: Great Flame Pulsation  
Gyakusuirou no Jutsu – Inverse Water Prison Technique  
Fuuton: Tatsumaki – Wind Release: Tornado  
Katon: Karyuu Endan – Fire Release: Fire Dragon Blast  
Doton: Doryuu Heki – Earth Release: Earth Style Wall

First Completion: 3/7/2009 10:29:59 AM

* * *

Yes, well...I do realize this is a very annoying chapter with lots of dialogue and nearly zero action. Don't worry...that comes next chapter. Which I am currently doing...now.


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